Glass _Jlta3Jl_
Book ,M(p%
Copyright N°
COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.
Photo by Joel Feder, New York.
REDUCING THE CHIN.
Health and
Beauty Hints
BY
MARGARET MIXTER
Illustrated from Photographs
by
JOEL FEDER
NEW YORK :
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
<b
Copyright, 1910, by
THE NEW YORK HERALD CO.
All Rights Reserved
©CLA271065
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
8
Massage — How to massage the face — Massage creams and lotk ns
— Creams and lotions that whiten the face — Simple facial
massage rules — Neck massage that prevents wrinkles — To
prevent wrinkles at corners of eyes — That will beautify
the neck , I
CHAPTER II
Hair — To cure oily hair — Daily care of hair — Home made tonics
that nourish the hair — Night treatment for hair — Treatment
for falling hair — Cold weather hair treatment— Tonics that
may prevent grayness — To prevent hair being sunburned —
Treatment for sunburned hair — Straight hair may be made to
curl with oil — Lotions that keep hair in curl — To keep false
hair clean and natural looking — How to delicately perfume
the hair — Simple methods of removing superfluous hair —
Simple treatment for dandruff — A cure — When dandruff
causes hair to fall 12
CHAPTER III
Shampoos — Shampoo mixtures for blonde and brunette — How to
give a dry shampoo — Hair needs air more than shampoos in
summer — Drying hair with heat injures the roots 39
CHAPTER IV
Bleaches and Dyes — Lemon is bleach for tan and sunburn —
Recipes for bleaching cream — Bleaches for red face — For re-
moving yellow stains from neck — Black and brown dyes for
gray hair — To color hair a beautiful golden tint — To restore
bleached and dyed hair to original shade 45
v
CONTENTS
PAGES
CHAPTER V
Hands — To soften and whiten — Cure in cold weather — Pastes
that whiten — Dish washing beautifies — How stains may easily
be removed — Treatment for perspiring hands 58
CHAPTER VI
Nails — Suggestions about manicuring — Grease beautifies — Care in
winter — To strengthen 67
CHAPTER VII
Arms — Cures for rough elbows — Oily bandages for rough arms
— To beautify by exercise 76
CHAPTER VIII
Complexion — Astringent tonics that contract the large pores —
Treatment for black heads and pimples — How to lance and
cure a pimple — How to steam the face — How to use a com-
plexion brush — To prevent freckles — Whiteners that remove
freckles — Excessive drinking of coffee often causes eruptions
Water drinking beautifies — Physical exercises that clear — Diet
of fresh fruits and vegetables improves the skin — Brisk walk
in rain clears 81
CHAPTER IX
Wrinkles — Summer preventatives of lined skin — Treatment to
keep skin unwrinkled in spring winds — Care of eyes will keep
away wrinkles — To prevent wrinkles caused by headache — To
prevent cold weather causing wrinkles — Rest, not cosmetics,
prevents wrinkles Beauty treatment to keep skin fresh.... 100
CHAPTER X
Face Powders — How to develop red cheeks — To put on powder so
it will not rub off — To protect skin in winter 1 15
vi
CONTENTS
PAGES
CHAPTER XI
Preparations — Nourishing cold creams — Buttermilk nourishing
skin food and drink — How to make toilet lotions usually con-
sidered luxurious — Suggestions about compounding cold cream
ingredients — Delicate purfumes compounded at home — Skin
tonics for use in bath — Benzoine is excellent — Cleansing pow-
ders used instead of cold cream — Oily lotions for face instead
of water — Glycerine lotion whitens and refines — To compound
incense for burners 121
CHAPTER XII
Baths — When cold baths are healthy — Turkish baths may be
taken at home — Sponge baths are as cleansing as tub baths —
Hot baths for insomnia — Luke warm tub is refreshing in sum-
mer— Temperature must not shock nervous system — Perspira-
tion cleanses the system — Remedies to regulate perspiration.. 144
CHAPTER XIII
Eyebrows and Lashes — To make eyebrows beautiful — To make
eyebrows and lashes shapely — Expression of face is determined
by eyebrows < 160
CHAPTER XIV
Eyes — Preparations that may prevent inflammation — To make eyes
bright 166
CHAPTER XV
Ears — Care in winter — To cure earaches — Correction for pro-
jecting ears 171
CHAPTER XVI
Noses — To cure chronic redness — Simple remedies for red noses. . 176
vii
CONTENTS
PAGES
CHAPTER XVII
Teeth — Bleaching tooth powders — "Donts" to be remembered — To
prevent fruit stains injuring teeth — Treatment for receding
gums — To prevent accumulation of tarter — Mouth washes that
purify the breath. 179
CHAPTER XVIII
Feet — Removing and curing painful corns — Care to give tender
feet in summer — Home treatment for broken arches — Simple
remedies for chilblains — To secure relief from chilblains — To
make unshapely ankles pretty 190
CHAPTER XIX
Developing the Figure — Exercises improve more than corset —
Correct sitting posture beautifies — Sweeping and dusting
develop 203
CHAPTER XX
To Reduce Flesh — Diet that helps reduction — Summer is ideal
time to take off flesh — Hot soda baths reduce 209
CHAPTER XXI
Simple Remedies — Diet that will improve torpid liver — To remove
liver spots — Hot water treatment for rheumatism — For sore
throat — To prevent a cold — Cuts, bruises, etc. — Prickly heat —
Preventatives of skin irritation — Poison ivy treatment — Cures
for pains in head — Headache caused by heat — Weak nerves —
Hot water is panacea for ills — Health drinks purify the blood —
Exercises that may prevent indigestion — Fever blisters —
Cracked lips — To cure habit of biting lips — For removing
warts 214
CHAPTER XXII
Miscellaneous — How to acquire a soft-speaking voice — To culti-
vate a graceful walk — How unattractive mouths may be beauti-
fied— Suggestions for keeping warm in winter 245
viii
SPECIAL RECIPES
Page.
BLEACHES—
Bleach for Tan 45
COMPLEXION—
Astringent Tonic Skin Lotion 81
For Blackheads 83
Freckle Lotion , 89
EYEBROWS AND LASHES—
Eyebrow and Lash Tonic 160
FACE POWDERS—
Harmless Rouge 115
For Brunettes 117
FIGURE
Vaucaire Bust Developer 203
HAIR—
Tonic for Oily Hair 12
Tonic for Dry Hair 16
Dandruff Cure 35
HANDS—
To Whiten Hands '. 58
MASSAGE—
Elder Flower Cream 1
NAILS—
Polishing Nail Powder 67
TEETH—
Tooth Powder 179
IX
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Page.
Reducing the Chin Frontispiece.
Massage Showing Upward Stroke on Cheek — Must be Hard. . 2
Rotary Movement for Massaging the Neck 6
Giving a Dry Shampoo 40
Trimming Cuticle in Manicuring 68
Massaging to Improve the Arms 78
Eradicating Wrinkles by Using Adhesive Plaster 102
Keeping Waist Line Small , 112
Tinting Pale Eyebrows 164
Massaging to Reduce Swollen Eyelids 166
Cleaning Nails on Feet 194
Massaging thei Cheeks ., 218
Health and Beauty Hints
CHAPTER I
MASSAGE
ELDERFLOWER CREAM FOR MASSAGE
Almond oil, one and one=half ounces; white wax, two and one-
half drams; spermaceti, two and one=half drams; lanoline, one=half
ounce; oil of bitter almonds, one=half dram; elderflower water,
one and one=half ounces; witch hazel, one=half ounce.
Melt the wax and spermaceti in an earthen dish set in a basin
of boiling water, add the lanoline, and beat in the oils slowly.
Remove vessel from the heat and add the witch hazel and elder-
flower water.
Apply at night or before going out of doors. In the latter case
dust on powder.
HOW TO MASSAGE THE FACE
TO massage the face, rub gently to increase the flesh
and make the cheeks round; or, if a double chin
or superfluous flesh is to be removed, rub vigor-
ously to wear away the fat by friction.
Besides affecting the contour, massaging is to smooth
away wrinkles by keeping the surface smooth and working
to strengthen the cords, not to pull them down. It is a fact
always to be remembered that the tendency of flesh on the
face is to droop downward with age, so all muscles and cords
must be rubbed up, to prevent their stretching.
2 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
Before massaging the face wash it thoroughly with hot
water, not only to remove all dust, but to open the pores,
getting them ready to absorb the unguent. Then the fingers
are dipped into the cream, and work may begin at the fore-
head, rubbing it smooth all the time, while using a rotary
motion, always with the upward part of the stroke harder
than the downward. The cheeks are treated in rotary fash-
ion, and so are the temples, while the chin must be given
its share of attention. Around the corners of the eyes only
the tip of one finger may be used, trying with each motion
to smooth away the lines. Under the throat the stroke must
be firm and strong, going up toward the ears in order not
to cause the flesh to gather beneath the chin point.
In these movements, that the fingers may slide over the
skin without pulling, and also to benefit the tissue, a lotion
or cream should be used. Just which should be selected de-
pends upon the original condition of the face: if too fat,
an astringent lotion would be best; if thin, a flesh-making
cream may be employed.
For an astringent an ounce of pure gum benzoin, dis-
solved in half a pint of pure alcohol, is excellent. It is also
bleaching.
A flesh-making cream, which may be used when the face
is thin, is made from two and a half ounces of lanoline, a
quarter of an ounce of spermaceti, two and a half ounces
of freshly tried mutton tallow, two ounces each of cocoanut
oil and oil of sweet almonds, half a dram of tincture of ben-
zoin, and ten drops of oil of neroli.
To mix the ingredients, melt the lanoline, spermaceti and
mutton tallow in a china basin, and set in a dish of hot
water. Do not let the fats become hot. As they soften
Photo by Joel Feder, New York
FACE MASSAGE, SHOWING UPWARD STROKE ON CHEEK— MUST BE HARD.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 3
add the oils, remove from the heat, and beat, slowly adding
the benzoin and neroli. This should be a cream when cold.
A less elaborate cream is composed of thirty grams of lano-
line and twenty grams of sweet oil. These two are melted,
as told for the foregoing cream, and when liquid one-half
a gram of tannin is beaten in.
Any of these is applied in the same way. It takes at least
fifteen minutes to massage the face, and longer time may
be given. At the close of the treatment cold water should
be dashed over the flesh to tighten and harden the skin,
that has become soft from rubbing.
MASSAGE CREAMS AND LOTIONS THAT WHITEN SKIN
WHEN it becomes necessary to treat the complexion
with a massage cream or lotion it is desirable to
select one that will soften and also whiten. As
a rule, any preparation that softens is likely to have a
slightly bleaching effect, because the latter is included in
a scheme of general improvement. But a woman who wishes
the cream action to be less slow may like to try a paste
made from two ounces of sweet almond oil, 160 grains
each of white wax and spermaceti, fifty grains of powdered
and sifted benzoin, 160 grains of rice starch, and seven and
one-half grains of pure carmine.
The wax and spermaceti are melted in a cup set into hot
water, the benzoin being added at the time. The oil is
poured in as the fats are melted, and the cup removed from
the heat. The liquid is beaten a moment with a fork, and
the carmine and starch are mixed at the same time. Blend-
ing must be carefully done to prevent lumps. If perfume
4 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
is wished, two drops of oil of violets should be added just
before the grease hardens.
This cream, which, owing to the benzoin, is particularly
whitening, is especially adapted to use on skin in the eve-
ning, before applying powder. It may also be rubbed over
the cheeks during the day, wiping off any superfluous quan-
tity before putting on powder. Its action on the skin is
beneficial.
A person who objects to the use of grease, and still wishes
to use a tonic, may like a lotion made from one and one-
half drams of citric acid, five and one-half ounces of hot
water, a dram of borax and half an ounce of glycerine.
The borax and acid are dissolved in the liquid, the glycerine
going in last. This may be freely used on the face at any
time, wiping it off before going out of doors. When com-
ing in from the street, if the skin is dusty, this lotion may
be used as a cleansing agent, mopping the face freely before
washing in warm water, then finishing with a cold rinse.
Another lotion is made of two ounces of pure honey, half
an ounce of glycerine, half an ounce of rectified spirits, and
one and one-half drams of pure citric acid. The honey and
glycerine are put together in a cup set into hot water, and,
as the two mingle, the spirits in which the acid has been
dissolved is added.
The grease must be cold before the spirits is mingled.
This, like the first lotion, may be used at any time, and
the skin will be kept in better condition if the liquid is ap-
plied as a cleansing agent before water is used.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
SIMPLE FACIAL MASSAGE RULES
FACIAL massage consists of the manipulation of the
flesh in such manner that the tissues and muscles are
stimulated and the surface circulation increased, so
the ultimate effect strengthens and reinforces against the
ravages of age and weather.
To accomplish these results both rubbing and kneading
are necessary. For the former movement the fingers must
slip over the skin firmly and evenly, and at the same time
must work the muscles below the surface.
Before beginning either process the face must be washed,
preferably with warm water, that the pores will be in a
receptive condition for the soothing agent that is applied.
Generally, cold cream is best, but if there is prejudice against
it an astringent lotion or plain rose water may be substituted.
The principal object is to use some emollient to prevent the
fingers from sticking and bruising the skin.
Whatever application is chosen must be rubbed in large
quantities over the flesh, and then the skin is in condition
to treat.
Throughout this treatment it must be remembered that
the object is to smooth as well as to strengthen the flesh;
also that under no conditions must the muscles be pulled
down. As a rule, the rotary motion is best, which is merely
rubbing in circular fashion, making the upward sweep
harder than the downward. Cheeks, chin, nose and tem-
ples require this stroke. The forehead should be smoothed
if it is lined, otherwise it, too, will take the rotary treatment.
About the nose, rubbing is done up and down, working into
6 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
a rotary movement with the tips of two fingers when the
region about the eye is reached.
To prevent or reduce a double chin both hands must be
used at the same time, beginning at the point of the chin
and rubbing up hard toward either ear. For the throat the
circular movement is most effective. For this motion all
the fingers of both hands are required, while the thumbs are
used as braces, being firmly placed so they make the finger
work stronger. It is only when ' 'kneading" that the thumbs
actually work. Then they are needed to take up the flesh in
large rolls, working and gently pinching it. ,
It is well to begin massage in the cheeks, starting with
a small circle that is increased to extend over the entire face.
During this process the thumbs may be placed under the
jawbones, working up with a rotary motion until the posi-
tion under the eye is reached, when only two fingers are
required. Continuing, the temples should be reached next.
From there work on the chin, and then rub hard, and
always up, along the jawbones, and under them, to the
ears.
The operation will take at least half an hour, and should
be done sitting before a mirror. At the close there should
be a distinct sensation of glow in the face, and bright color.
Washing in warm and then cold water is done.
Massage is better not done oftener than once a week.
NECK MASSAGE THAT PREVENTS WRINKLES
BY the time a woman is twenty-five years old she should
devote at least ten minutes, night and morning, to
massaging her throat under the chin. She may see
no reason at that period for massage, but should she take the
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 7
trouble, by the time she is forty she will not have the hang-
ing "dewlap/' which, more than anything else, proclaims
her no longer young.
Besides massage a good skin food is necessary. To make
such, one dram of tincture of benzoin to an ounce of glyce-
rine is essential, and when properly mixed is both astrin-
gent and tissue feeding. Better, however, is a lotion made
from the yolk of a fresh raw egg, a tablespoonful of sweet
oil of almonds, a teaspoonful of tincture of benzoin, and
two teaspoonfuls of rose water.
This must be kept in a cool place when not being used,
or it will spoil. It is used quite as any other massage cream,
wiping off any superfluous quantity later.
'As to the treatment, it consists first in washing the neck
thoroughly, that no dust shall remain to be rubbed in. The
water must be as hot as can be borne with comfort, and the
washing will take at least three or four minutes, because the
pores are to be opened by the gentle heat.
Wiping must be carefully done, and the surface, from
chin to the base of the throat, covered with the cream. Then
massage can be started. For this both hands are required,
and the motion must be chiefly a rotary one, using the tips
of the fingers and making the upward stroke stronger than
the downward. The stroke should come up toward the ears
at the finish. Incidentally, this treatment will do much
toward reducing or preventing a double chin.
During this process the fingers must constantly move
over the surface, and the base of the throat must not be
neglected, for an observing woman, who remembers, knows
that the tell-tale cords that are so homely stretch from the
collar bone line to the chin. The greatest attention is given
8 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
always to the very center of the throat, rubbing rather hard
there to stimulate muscles and tissues.
That done, the movement is alternated by a stretching,
beginning by bringing the finger tips together directly un-
der the chin and pulling up hard toward each ear. This is
precisely the same motion that is gone through with to re-
duce a double chin.
The end of this treatment should leave the throat red
and smarting a little, but the sensation will soon wear off,
and the skin regain its normal condition. The tissue builder
given is whitening, as well as softening, and may be used
for the hands, putting on gloves afterward.
MASSAGE TO PREVENT WRINKLES AT CORNERS OF
EYES
THAT part of the face about the eyes requires especial
attention to ward off an appearance of old age, and
I would like to impress all women, but especially
young girls, with the importance of daily massage about the
eye corners, for such treatment tends to prevent that net-
work of tiny lines that is so apparent in a strong light, and
that makes one seem haggard. The least defect in the sight
renders these lines more conspicuous, for such trouble makes
an unconscious rigidity of the muscles near the lids which
develops pronounced wrinkles.
It would be excellent if a girl would devote about five
minutes to the care of her eyes every night. Let her dip
a finger into cold cream after the face has been washed, and
rub this, with a gentle rotary motion, all over the cheek
bone, beginning just in front of the temple and working
slowly down over the bone beneath the eye. At no time
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 9
may the fingers be more than half an inch below the line
of the lower lid. Such treatment as this will keep the tis-
sues of that section constantly nourished and the skin soft
at a time when most women begin to look drawn.
Puffiness under the eyes, which is most disfiguring, some-
times is merely from fatigue, although not uncommonly it
indicates internal trouble. In the former case rest will re-
store the normal condition. As soon as any swelling be-
comes evident a person should lie down in a darkened room.
By the bed or couch there may be a basin of hot water, and
two cloths are required. One of these, hot and wet, is kept
constantly over the eyes. A rubber bag is not a substitute
in this case, for it will not adhere to the skin. The cloths
must be kept as hot as the skin can endure without smarting,
and they should be kept on for fifteen minutes.
In ordinary cases a further rest of half an hour will com-
plete the cure, but sometimes the application of a cream is
beneficial after the final cloth has been removed. This lotion
should be gently massaged into the flesh. An excellent
lotion for this treatment is made from ten grams each of
lanoline and vaseline, five grams of sweet almond oil, and
three grams of sulphate of aluminum. To prepare, melt the
lanoline in a cup set into hot water, adding the almond oil
as soon as the former is soft. Remove from heat, and beat
in the sulphate before the cream hardens. This is rubbed
in with an even, gentle stroking that will take five minutes.
After that any superfluous amount is wiped off.
Swollen lids usually yield to the same treatment as that
given for puffiness under the eyes, which includes an astrin-
gent that is soothing. The formula for this consists of five
grains each of powdered alum and sulphate of zinc in a gill
io HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
of distilled water. It is bottled, and shaken until the pow-
ders are dissolved, then filtered through coarse brown paper.
Boiled water may take the place of filtered. To use, the
lotion is poured on a soft cloth and the eyes are mopped.
MASSAGE THAT WILL BEAUTIFY THE NECK
WITH attention the homeliest neck may be made pret-
ty, a fact that is of importance these days, when
gowns cut out at the throat are so fashionable.
This care, however, does not include a mere washing of the
skin with a wet wash cloth, as many women do. For, unless
nature has endowed one with a pretty throat, it is only per-
sistence that will develop beauty.
To begin the improvement, I consider massage necessary,
and because that cannot be given without an application
of some soothing agent that helps the fingers to glide over
the skin, the selection of a quality that nourishes and refines
is a special consideration. If the skin is naturally white and
soft, the simplest kind of cold cream will be effective; but
if, as is often the case, the flesh is brown and muddy, it be-
hooves the toiler for beauty to select a preparation that
will clear and bleach.
A treatment of this kind that I like consists of mixing
equal parts of the raw white of one egg and almond oil.
These are beaten thoroughly and rubbed into the flesh.
When there are hollows in the neck, and the throat is in-
clined to scragginess, the massage must be firm and brisk,
to promote circulation. To do this to best advantage the
fingers should be placed against one spot and held there
while the knuckles are bent, thus kneading the skin below
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS n
the surface. Then the finger tips are dragged over the sur-
face in rotary motion, trying to work the food into the pores.
If the throat is sufficiently developed, massage may be very
gentle, only enough to create a little friction, which will
cause the pores to absorb more than they otherwise would.
The paste recommended is left on over night, and in the
morning washed off with tepid water, or, instead of water,
camphor water with one-third glycerine may be used as a
substitute.
In addition to this cream a lotion made from fifty grams
of rose water, two and one-half grams of borax, five grams
of spirits of camphor and two and one-half grams of tincture
of benzoin must be used. The latter dries on, and may be
applied during the day — indeed, as often as one wishes.
It is an excellent complexion wash.
If the neck be decidedly thin, a cream that will give more
nourishment to the skin is desirable, and for this purpose
there is a formula consisting of two ounces of sweet almond
oil, 1 60 grains each of white wax and spermaceti, fifty
grains of powdered benzoin, 160 grains of rice powder,
and seven and one-half grains of pure carmine.
To mix these ingredients melt the fats in a cup set in a
pan of boiling water, and as they heat add the benzoin. Do
not allow the grease to become too hot, or it will not con-
geal. Remove from heat, beat, and put in the rice powder
and carmine as the mixture cools. Scent, if desired, with
any essential oil.
This is best used when dressing for the evening, or when-
ever a low gown is used. It is an excellent "make-up"
cream, and feeds the tissues. If evenly applied, powder
dusted on afterward improves the appearance of the neck.
CHAPTER II
HAIR
TONIC FOR OILY HAIR
Tincture of alcoholic cantharides, one dram; tincture of capsi-
cum, one=haIf dram; tincture of nux vomica, two drams; cocoa
oil, three-quarters of an ounce; alcohol, two and one=half ounces.
Shake before using.
Massage nightly into the scalp with the finger tips.
TO CURE OILY HAIR
EXCESSIVELY oily hair is the result of a diseased
condition of the scalp, that is sometimes serious, as
it makes the glands enlarge and throw off exudations
too rapidly. This trouble is usually caused by an unhealthy
condition of the system, and is difficult to control, except
by internal treatment.
For instance, a person so afflicted, who suffers from indi-
gestion or other internal ailments, must give her body proper
nourishment, to bring it to a comparatively normal state,
before local applications will be effective.
An oily scalp must be shampooed with discretion, and a
tar or sulphur soap should be used, in connection with raw
eggs, when cleansing the hair.
One of the best of such cleansing agents is a combination
of a tablespoonful of lime water to each raw egg, the mix-
12
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 13
ture beaten together, and massaged into the scalp. The
lime water has a beneficial effect upon the enlarged glands.
Washing must be done in warm water, using no soap,
and the final rinse should be with cold water, in order to
contract the pores. Even in extreme cases of exudation
shampooing is not to be done oftener than once in three
weeks. Should the hair become heavy with grease during
the intervening weeks much of it can be removed by sprink-
ling the locks thickly with fine corn meal, which is brushed
out after absorbing the dirt, with a long but soft-bristled
brush. It is important that the bristles shall be soft, for stiff
ones overstimulate the scalp.
A mixture of three drams of glycerine and four ounces
of lime water should be kept on the dressing-table, and the
scalp wet with it every night. This lotion must be rubbed
in with the finger tips. At the end of three weeks half an
ounce of tincture of cantharides should be added to the
original proportions, treatment continuing in the same way.
The reason that cantharides is not used at first is because
of its stimulating properties, and the fact that the scalp
must be soothed, as it were, before it can be toned to normal
condition.
A decided change of treatment sometimes benefits a per-
son, who may discontinue the use of the lime water com-
bination at the end of three weeks, substituting a tonic made
from half an ounce of castor oil, half an ounce of strong
liquid ammonia, an ounce of best French brandy, and three
ounces of rose water. This may be applied every other
night.
Still another suited to the condition is two gills of old
whiskey, with as much rock salt as will dissolve in it, a tea-
14 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
spoonful of glycerine and half a teaspoonful of flour of
sulphur. This may be used every night.
I believe it is not possible to bring into good condition a
scalp that is excessively oily, if pompadour cushions are
used, for they heat and excite the glands to an unhealthy
degree. Another important factor is gentle usage of the
scalp. It should not be irritated. A fine-tooth comb must
not touch it, and a hard brush must be avoided. In dressing
the hair each day the locks should be carefully treated. Only
by such attention to details can a cure be effected.
DAILY CARE OF HAIR
HAIR is greatly affected by the treatment it receives
each day. For example, I believe it impossible for
a woman who does not brush and braid her tresses
every night to have as luxuriant locks as one who regards
this routine, which includes, among the so-called "trivial"
points, that hair shall be thoroughly dried after shampooing,
and that the center of the scalp shall not be damp when pins
are put in.
Incidentally, a sun bath gives the head as much tone and
, vigor as it does the body, and to dry one's hair in the sun
after washing it is ideal. Some rubbing with soft, thick
towels should be given at first, and as the moisture begins
to disappear one should settle oneself comfortably in the
sun, let the locks be loose, turning them occasionally, that
all shall have an equal chance to absorb the bright rays.
So important do I regard this treatment that I consider it
an error to wash the hair on a damp or cloudy day.
Direct heat should not be used for drying after a sham-
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 15
poo. For example, to spread the hair on a radiator or
before a register is to invite grayness, because in this man-
ner the natural nourishing oils are dried and the hair is
starved into losing its color. Friction and sunlight are the
only two beneficial agents.
There is a curious superstition among hair specialists
that singeing should not be done except when the moon is
new. Many persons believe this superstition, though not
one can give a reason for it. All maintain that unless
burned at the beginning of a moon the hair will not grow.
Singeing is undoubtedly one of the best ways of treating
hair that is impoverished or not in normal condition. Even
the healthiest tresses sometimes require the ends treated in
this manner, as it gives a new impetus to growth without
running danger of "bleeding," as it may from clipping.
When the ends are dried and split they should be subjected
to burning, which is done in this way by professionals:
Take strands of hair, twist them tightly — that there will
be no draught — and then quickly run over each a lighted
taper, that burns the tiny ends sticking out and does not
affect the long growth. It is an operation that seems simple,
but requires great skill. It should not be done oftener
than once in three months, and sometimes at longer inter-
vals.
There is a theory, strongly advocated by some specialists,
that a child's hair should never be allowed to grow more
than six inches. The basis for this statement is that the
longer the hair the more difficult it is to draw nourishment
from the scalp, and that a child's head should not be sub-
jected to such a strain. When there is pronounced weakness
in the hair this may be tenable, but in ordinary cases I think
16 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
a child's locks may be left to grow at will, taking care that
they are well brushed and carefully treated.
TONIC FOR DRY HAIR
Sweet almond oil, one and one-half ounces; oil of rosemary,
one-half ounce; oil of cinnamon, seventeen drops. Mix well, and
massage with the finger tips into the scalp nightly, or every other
night, as required.
HOME-MADE TONICS THAT NOURISH SCALP
WHEN roots of the hair are dry, either from lack of
natural nourishing, excessive use of curling irons,
or from the temperature, that often makes the
scalp too dry, oils must be applied.
When these health-giving lotions are used they must be
thin, and of a penetrating quality, that will not choke the
glands and pores.
Petroleum products are extremely stimulating and bene-
ficial, and though some persons declare against vaseline, on
the ground that it is too thick for scalp application, I think
they are mistaken, for it is quickly absorbed, becoming
liquid at a gentle temperature. Occasionally I am asked if
kerosene is a good tonic. It has some virtue, but by no
means enough to make up for the disagreeable odor it gives.
On general principles, therefore, I think it should not be
used.
While mutton tallow, being an animal fat, should be
excellent for the scalp, theoretically, I think it clogs the
pores.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 17
All oils made from herbs are gentle hair tonics, and those
from spices have the same merit.
Sweet almond oil is good, and so is castor oil, though,
as a rule, each should be used in combination with some
other ingredient.
An old English tonic that is supposed to be health giving
is made from half a pint of almond oil, two ounces of bur-
dock root, a quarter of an ounce each of oils of rosemary
and thyme, two and one-half drams of bergamot, and a
dram each of triple rose extract and oil of lemon.
The burdock root is put into the oil, and the jar contain-
ing it kept warm for forty-eight hours. It is then strained
and the other ingredients added.
Another excellent tonic is made by putting one and one-
eighth ounces of coarsely powdered alkanet root into half
a pint of almond oil, the two being kept warm until the oil
is colored a deep red. This will take several days. Then
nine and one-half grains each of oils of cloves, mace and
rose, and half a dram of oil of cinnamon are added. This
mixture may be perfumed with seven grains of musk.
The objection that grease applied to the scalp makes the
hair heavy is obviated by a knowledge of how to rub it on.
Before putting any oil on the roots all tangles must be re-
moved and the tresses divided into two parts. Into this
line the grease is rubbed, a little at a time, using the finger
tips. Then another clear line, close to the first, is made,
and the operation repeated, until the whole scalp has been
covered. Done in this way, the hair is not greasy, and the
scalp is nourished. Except in cases where the hair is no-
ticeably dry, every other day is sufficiently often to make
such an application.
18 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
NIGHT TREATMENT FOR HAIR
I BELIEVE that it is impossible for a girl to have pretty
hair, and I know that she cannot possess luxuriant
tresses when an old woman, unless she brushes and
combs her tresses before going to bed. To remove the pins,
and twist the locks, or let them hang, is as injurious as it
is to cloth to lay it away without smoothing. Both must be
made ready to rest if they are not to wear out quickly.
It does not take more than five minutes to treat the scalp
in such a way as to stimulate it. Of course, if one has the
time and energy for massage, so much the better, but this
is by no means necessary when the hair is in a normally
healthy condition. When it is not, the improved circula-
tion that will result from rubbing is so beneficial in effect
that effort should be made to accomplish it.
For the regular evening treatment there should be at least
twenty long strokes of the brush after all snarls have been
removed with a comb. The stroking should be even and
firm, without causing pain. Such brushing as this keeps
the hair glossy and pliable, making it far easier to twist
into becoming coiffures.
For the final work a loose braid should be made. It is
not well to twist the hair and pin it, however lightly, for
the scalp should be relieved of any weight through the night.
TREATMENT FOR FALLING HAIR
CALLING hair, an indication of a diseased condition of
the scalp, may be remedied in two ways. One is to
take a tonic internally, to build up the general
strength; the other is to treat the scalp externally. The
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 19
latter does not take much time or thought, and is not diffi-
cult. In fact, any person can apply it herself, but the ser-
vices of a member of the family make the treatment simpler.
Unless the hair is coming out literally by handfuls, as
after a severe illness, I believe brushing is most efficacious.
The brush must have long bristles, rather far apart, in
order that they shall reach to the scalp, and the stroke stimu-
late as much as polish the hair.
If the scalp trouble is due to illness, and a new growth of
hair is coming in with the old, brushing is not advisable.
The old hair, under these conditions, does not sap nourish-
ment from the new. But when there is no apparent reason
for the trouble, and the shedding is not great, then I believe
in the use of the brush.
Also there must be massage given every night. A tonic
put on at the same time is likely to hasten improvement,
and a mixture I like is made from a dram of alcoholic tinc-
ture of cantharides, half a dram of tincture of capsi-
cum, two drams of nux vomica, three-quarters of
an ounce of cocoa oil and two and a half ounces of
cologne. If the hair happens to be heavy with natural
grease, one more likely to agree is made from half an ounce
of alcoholic tincture of cantharides, three-quarters of an
ounce each of spirits of rosemary, glycerine and aromatic
vinegar, with an ounce and a half of rose water.
Either of these is applied in the same way, and should
be used~ every night. A portion of this treatment consists
in combing the hair thoroughly and brushing it, not only
flat to the head, but putting the brush underneath and draw-
ing the hair loose and free, so that all parts are ventilated.
20 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
Each stroke must begin on the scalp so the tips of the bristles
are felt.
This done, the tresses should be divided into two sec-
tions, one-half pinned so it will not get in the way when
the other is treated. Then some tonic should be poured into
a saucer and applied with a soft toothbrush or tiny sponge
to the scalp.
The hair is again parted, not more than an inch from
the middle, and with the little brush or sponge the scalp line
is wet. Another division not more than an inch away is
made, that line wet, and the hair laid over, repeating the
partings and applications until the entire scalp has been
treated.
This done, massaging should begin. It consists merely
in holding the fingers firmly on different portions of the
scalp and bending the knuckles so that the scalp moves but
the fingers remain stationary. This is continued all over
the head, the operation taking fifteen minutes or more. At
the finish there should be a distinct sensation of glow in
the head. With these movements the hair is not tangled,
because the fingers do not rub it.
A final brushing is given, and the hair loosely braided for
the night.
COLD-WEATHER HAIR TREATMENT
IF women would remember that cold weather dries the
hair and makes it unmanageable they might be able
to treat the scalp so the tresses would be healthy and
could be coiled into pretty coiffures. Water, while it is
efficacious as an external application, sometimes does more
harm than good by increasing the stiffness of the hair as the
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 21
liquid dries out. Only brushing and the application of some
mixture that contains oil will make the hair lie smooth.
Oils, besides neutralizing the condition of dryness and
making the hair easier to handle, has the added virtue of
tonic properties, and if it massaged into the scalp the benefit
after some weeks is pronounced.
A tonic of this kind is made from sixteen ounces of pure
cologne and two ounces of castor oil. Far from being greasy
or unpleasant, this mixture is easily put on, and has an
agreeable odor.
Containing less oil, but stronger in tonic properties, is
a combination of four ounces of cologne, half an ounce of
tincture of cantharides, and a quarter of a dram each of oils
of lavender and rosemary.
The best way of applying either of these is to make many
parts, close together on the scalp, and rub the liquid into
each, using either the finger tips or a small brush.
If the hair is extremely dry, the application may be used
every day, but in many cases every other day is sufficient.
Too much of the tonic will make the hair heavy with grease
and altogether unmanageable.
When the hair is falling, and is dry and hard in texture,
a stimulating mixture to use may be made from one and
one-half ounces of cocoanut oil, two and a quarter drams
of tincture of nux vomica, one ounce of bay rum and twenty
drops of oil of bergamot.
This tonic should be thoroughly rubbed with the finger
tips into divisions made along the scalp. To apply it every
other night is sufficient, and on alternate nights there may
be used another formula composed of one dram of alcoholic
tincture of cantharides, half a dram of tincture of capsicum,
22 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
two drams of tincture of nux vomica, three-quarters of an
ounce of cocoa oil and two and one-half ounces of cologne.
Nothing will so quickly cause the hair to turn gray as an
absence of nourishing oils, and it is for this reason that
tonics containing such ingredients are invaluable. When
there is a decided tendency to whiteness a formula that has
been found useful, if massaged nightly into the head, is
one dram each of terebene, borax and sulphur and six ounces
of lavender water.
TONICS THAT MAY PREVENT GRAYNESS
INSTEAD of resorting to dyes when the hair becomes
gray and loses the first color of youth, why will not
women adopt a course of treatment that will be im-
proving and not injurious? As far as I know there is no
harmless dye, because to "hold" a color the hair must be
entirely freed of natural oils. And the absence of these
immediately takes away nourishment, and falling and break-
ing of the locks is a matter of a short time.
Scalp massage, brushing and carefully selected tonics, on
the contrary, may so improve the condition as to bring the
hair to a most attractive state. There is positively no
excuse for the "dead" aspect of so many women's heads,
for it is owing to carelessness in one form or another.
Premature grayness, unless caused by illness, may almost
always be traced to an absence of oils in the scalp. There-
fore, when a woman too young to lose the natural color finds
that her tresses are changing she should resort to applica-
tions containing stimulating oils, or such ingredients as nux
vomica or iron.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 23
For example, there is a mixture of an ounce each of mer-
cury oleate and oil of ergot. This is to be perfumed with a
few drops of oil of lavender, and used when the hair is
lusterless. Every night the tresses should be divided into
many parts and into each line a little of the tonic applied,
either with the finger tips or a small brush. Massaging
must then take place, over each section of the head.
A lotion that is easier to apply, because there is less likeli-
hood of the hair becoming greasy, is made from half a
dram each of terebene, borax and sulphur and three ounces
of lavender water. It is put on the same way as the first.
Decidedly more stimulating than either of the fore-
going, and for that reason better when the hair is in a
dead condition, is a tonic made from one quarter of an
ounce of violet ammonia, a gill of rectified spirits, an eighth
of an ounce of sublimed sulphur, a quarter of an ounce of
tincture of cantharides, an ounce of glycerine, an eighth of
an ounce of phosphate of lime and a quarter of an ounce
of tincture of cinchona. The sulphur should be put into the
spirits, adding the lime and tinctures, followed by the glycer-
ine, and the ammonia last. It must be well shaken.
If the scalp is in a delicate condition this may be irri-
tating, in which case it can be diluted with an equal amount
of glycerine and water. Should it still irritate it must be
put aside, to use when the surface is stronger.
Were tonics to be employed regularly when the woman is
young, hair would be prettier with advancing age. Not to
apply something frequently is quite the same neglect that
one would be giving to plants by depriving them of the nour-
ishment of water daily, or at least frequently. An appli-
cation that supplies food in usual conditions, and is adapted
24 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
to almost any scalp, is made from half an ounce of alcoholic
tincture of cantharides, three-quarters of an ounce each of
spirits of rosemary, glycerine and aromatic vinegar, and an
I ounce and a half of rosewater. In mixing, the glycerine is
put in last. This should be applied nightly to the scalp.
TO PREVENT HAIR BEING SUNBURNED
CONSTANT exposure to the strong light of summer
has precisely the same effect on hair as an overdose
of hot curling irons; that is, it makes the tresses
dry and crisp and lacking in polish or life. Eventually it
causes the locks to fall, because the nourishing oils have been
drawn cut and the follicles starved.
Incidentally, sunburn causes the color to change, not
evenly, but in streaked effects. For example, light brown
hair may become soiled yellow in spots, black locks rusty,
while naturally blonde tresses take on the look of ash. The
dryer the hair originally the worse the shade.
When there is an excess of oil in the scalp the applica-
tion of artificial aids becomes less necessary, and will not
be required every day. But such hair should be watched
carefully, and at the first appearance of any change of shade
it must be given a touch of glycerine and water. A tea-
spoonful of the former to half a pint of the latter does not
make a sticky lotion, but it does supply a little food that
serves as a protection. It is the outer covering, and so is
first taken by the sun. By the time that is absorbed exposure
to light may cause no damage for the time. The application
should be used morning and night, applying it by putting a
little in the palm of one hand, rubbing the two together, and
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 25
then patting the head evenly ; this to be done after combing,
and just before making the coiffure.
When the hair is inclined to dryness under normal con-
ditions it requires a pronounced oil to neutralize the sun's
effect. One I like for the purpose is made from an ounce
and a half of cocoanut oil, two and one-quarter drams of
tincture of nux vomica, an ounce of bay rum and twenty
drops of oil of bergamot. This is shaken before using, and
should be put on with the finger tips all over the scalp. For
the finish a few drops must be put into the palms and
rubbed as directed for glycerine and water.
TREATMENT FOR SUNBURNED HAIR
WHEN the hot summer sun has faded the color and
dried the scalp, a beneficial application to use is
beef marrow pomade, made by mixing a gill of
strained marrow with a tablespoonful of olive oil.
The marrow is easily obtained by buying beef bones con-
taining it, and scraping it into a small saucepan to melt,
but not get hot. It is then strained and the oil added. It
may be perfumed, if desired, and twenty drops of tincture
of benzoin may be stirred in to preserve it. Persons who
object to this as being too greasy will prefer another, made
of one ounce of pure olive oil, half an ounce of cologne, one-
quarter ounce of gum benzoin and four ounces of alcohol.
The benzoin is dissolved in the alcohol and the other in-
gredients added. After straining through coarse paper or
muslin, two ounces of castor oil and half a dram each of
oils of geranium and bergamot are added. This should be
shaken before using. I consider it particularly good.
26 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
As far as the beef-marrow pomade is concerned, it will
not grease the hair more than the other preparation if parts
close together are made on the scalp and the tonic is rubbed
on carefully with the finger tips, the way all tonics should
be applied, except thin ones, which should be put on with a
small sponge or brush. With all, the object is to saturate
the scalp but not the long hair. No nourishment is given
in the latter way.
Added to either of the tonics suggested, brilliantine may
be used temporarily to give luster and polish before treat-
ment has restored it. This polisher, as it may be called,
is made from one-half ounce of honey, strained, a quarter
of an ounce each of glycerine and cologne and an ounce of
alcohol. The mixture must be made smooth, and, to use,
the surface of the hair must be slightly moistened in the
morning. Too much will cause a sticky „ effect.
Another tonic recommended for use on sunburned hair is
made from half a pint of sweet almond oil, one and one-
eighth ounces of alkanet root, nine and one-half grains each
of oils of clove, mace and rose, half a dram of oil of cinna-
mon and seven and one-half grains of tincture of musk.
The alkanet is dropped into the almond oil, which is placed
where it is warm, the root remaining until the liquid is well
colored. It is then strained off, the root rejected, and the
other oils added to the almond.
Where the hair is dry, and like straw, through excessive
exposure to the sun, this tonic should be put on every night.
With these tonics ready for use, a woman who comes back
to town in the late summer should set herself to work for
the improvement of her hair quite as much as she does to
make her gowns pretty.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 27
When retiring, fifteen minutes, at least, should be con-
sumed in brushing and massaging.
Bearing in mind to have a fairly stiff brush to aid in
stimulating the glands, and a coarse-tooth comb, she should
first take out all tangles. To do this she must not pull, for
that breaks the hair, but must work gently, always below,
not above the knot. This will draw apart and smooth in-
terwoven hairs without pulling them out. This done, many
divisions of the hair must be made, rubbing the tonic into
each line of the scalp. Very awkward this is at first, and
it is always better to have another person do it, but if there
is no assistant it must not be neglected.
This finished, begin massaging, giving special heed to
that section above the temples where the hair is likely to
grow thin.
STRAIGHT HAIR MAY BE MADE TO CURL WITH OILS
AT times I wonder if hair naturally wavy would be so
uncommon if oil or grease in some form were used
on the head instead of the drying agents. It is, I
know, the common idea that in order to curl hair must be
dry, but this is a mistake, and any woman who doubts the
statement will realize its truth if she remembers that some
of her friends' tresses that are usually straight show a de-
cided inclination to curl if the atmosphere is damp.
The reason for this is obvious, for dampness gives weight
and body to the hair. On this same principle, hair inclined
to wave would be curly all the time if oil were applied every
two or three days.
As for the oil, I doubt if it makes much difference what
28 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
is chosen as long as it is pure. Sweet almond oil migfit Be
scented; cocoanut oil would also be good. None has the
virtue of being a curler in itself; it is only that the grease
supplied may be a necessary element hitherto lacking.
Little should be used at a time, and the best way of put-
ting it on is with the palms of the hands, as I have already
told. For in this way too much is not applied. Should
the hair seem heavy after the grease is put on it may be
omitted for a day.
Always, after using the oil, there must be effort to lay
the hair in waves. Tying a thin veil over the tresses so
arranged helps to keep them in place.
It is a mistake to think that brushing straightens the
hair. To the contrary, it is good for that which is dry,
by helping to stimulate natural oils, and it is equally desir-
able for that which has too much grease, because it takes
out some of the superfluous oil.
It must not be forgotten that hair once trained, or having
the habit of waving, will be easier to manage than when
it is straight. It may take weeks to develop the possibili-
ties of curls that I believe exist in almost all tresses, and
the most persistent effort is necessary during this time of
training.
LOTIONS THAT KEEP HAIR IN CURL
OF the many preparations recommended to keep the hair
in curl none is easier for amateurs to make, or is
more effective, even in damp weather, than bando-
line, made from quince seed. It is harmless, and keeps
straight locks in curl.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 29
The only objection to it is that when dry it assumes a
powdery aspect suggestive of fine dandruff.
An old method for preparing this toilet preservative is
to add a tablespoonful of the seeds, bruised, to a pint of
soft water. Boil gently until the quantity is reduced to three
gills. Then strain, and, when cold, two tablespoonfuls each
of cologne and alcohol are added. If the hair is naturally
oily, one-half a teaspoonful of powdered alum may be added,
dissolving it first in the alcohol. For applying to the hair
a small sponge is the best agent. This lotion must be put on
before using curlers.
Another compound that imparts luster to the hair is made
from one and one-half ounces of carefully picked gum arabic,
dissolved in a gill of rosewater. It is strained through a
muslin, and a drop of aniline dye is added.
This is put on before arranging the hair, and acts as a
bandoline as well as a polish.
A third preparation of which I have heard, but do not
vouch for, would be suited to oily hair. It is composed of
one ounce of gum arabic and half an ounce of the granu-
lated sugar which is moist — "coffee" sugar I think it is
called. These are dissolved in three gills of hot water,
and when the mixture is cold two ounces of alcohol are put
in, first dissolving in the latter six grains each of bichloride
of mercury and sal ammoniac. Enough water is then added
to make a pint. I am positive the mixture should not be
used if there is the slightest abrasion of the scalp, and I
believe that because of the mercury it would be harmful to
the hair.
30 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
TO KEEP FALSE HAIR CLEAN AND NATURAL LOOKING
FALSE hair will last longer and look better if properly
cared for, and as the best quality is not inexpensive,
and should be carefully selected, it behooves a woman,
now that quantities of it are worn, to know how to make
it last.
To begin with, then, a cheap quality is the most expensive,
for after little wear it becomes either scrubby-looking or so
harsh that it cannot be used. Cheap pieces lose color and
either streak or fade quickly.
One of the most important and difficult details of caring
for chignons is to keep them free from dust. Like hair
growing on the head, they hold impurities, and unless
cleansed will grow dull-looking and old. In their care a
soft brush is an essential, and every night when the pieces
are removed they should be stroked lightly but thoroughly
with bristles in such a way that the dust is taken out. This
should not be omitted even for one night, for once the switch
or puffs become dust laden they are difficult to clean.
No false hair, when not being worn, should be exposed
to the light, for sun and air will absorb its dressing un-
necessarily. After being worn it must never be put away
until it has been smoothed.
To wash a switch or puffs is practically impossible, but
as cleansing is necessary at intervals, corn meal should be
applied. The meal must be rubbed gently but thoroughly
through the strands, and then, fastening the top of the
piece securely, a long-bristled brush must be applied vigor-
ously to remove the grains. Before this, however, the long
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 31
hair must be rubbed between the hands so the meal will
absorb the dust.
Once in a long while, about every two months, a little
oil rubbed on the false piece will keep it in condition, and
aid in preserving the dressing. For this glycerine is excel-
lent, and the manner of applying should be carefully fol-
lowed. Too much of the grease will almost ruin, while too
little will not be effective. When using the glycerine the
tip of the piece must be securely fastened where the long
hair will hang free. Then a few drops, scented, may be
rubbed between the palms of the hands, to distribute it
evenly, and then put directly upon the hair, the only diffi-
culty being that unless care is exercised the grease will ad-
here to only one part of the switch. This is most apt to
be avoided by pressing the palms lightly when first they are
put on, making the stroke heavier as the grease is absorbed.
Under no circumstances must there be an appearance of
grease.
HOW TO DELICATELY PERFUME THE HAIR
PERFUMING the hair is among the simple and dainty
details of a complete toilet that can be done by any
woman at little trouble or expense.
To apply, scent caps should be worn, for they cover the
hair, and have the added virtue of protecting it so that it
neither snarls nor tumbles during the process. This makes
combing in the morning a simpler operation, and the hair is
benefited by being protected from the air.
For this headpiece a dusting-cap pattern is practical, the
covering being merely a circular cloth large enough to keep
the hair free and allow circulation of air. It is fitted to
32 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
the head by an elastic, care being taken that the latter is
not too tight, or circulation will be stopped. The material
for the cap depends entirely upon the amount of money a
girl wishes to spend. Silk, of course, is best — a thin China
or India. Silkolene is an excellent substitute. Besides this
fabric for the cap there should be an interlining of thinnest
cashmere, a wool material being necessary to hold the odor
satisfactorily. For the lining stiff goods should not be
chosen, or the head may be overheated.
Between the inner and outer cap any kind of sachet desired
is sprinkled thickly. I am always a strong advocate of orris
root, for it is sweet, lasting, and never cloying. If the cap
is tufted at intervals there will be less danger of the powder
settling in one part.
To use the cap for best results the hair should be thor-
oughly brushed and combed at night and then done in a
loose braid. The more every hair is exposed to the cap
the more it will take the sweet odor. It is not well to make
any kind of coiffure that requires pins, for the braid is
simply tucked up and the cap pulled on, covering the head
entirely. It is worn all night.
To perfume a pompadour roll is simple, and this should
be done whether or not the cap is used, for the roll will pre-
vent the hair from losing its perfume through exposure to
the air. To fix the pompadour, a gash about three inches
long is cut. In this aperture the powder is thickly laid,
choosing the same that is in the cap. Sewing silk the color
of the pompadour is then used for closing the gap.
The powder will last for several weeks. There will be
no chance of its sprinkling out if first put into a piece of
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 33
thin silk and sewed, but this work sometimes destroys the
shape of the pompadour.
As any odor evaporates quickly when constantly exposed
to the air, something more is required to make the hair hold
any sweetness. To put little sachet pads into all one's hats
takes only a short time and little trouble, and it helps re-
markably in accomplishing the desired end.
Another way of helping to retain the perfume is to put
the same scent, in liquid form, into the palm of the hand
and on the brush bristles. It is at once rubbed and brushed
over the head, imparting a slight fragrance. Care must
always be taken that conflicting scents are not used.
SIMPLE METHODS OF REMOVING SUPERFLUOUS HAIR
FROM the beginning of time, probably, there have been
external applications for the removal of superfluous
hair, and some undoubtedly have more virtue than
others. But I know of none that is a permanent cure, though
some kill the growth temporarily. The reason that hair
grows again, however, is easy to understand when it is
known that each hair fits into a little cuplike receptacle, and
unless this is destroyed the hair will be constantly renewed,
as it is from the cup that nourishment is drawn. External
applications kill only the hair itself, that might be called
the "shoot," leaving the root to flourish anew.
There are, of course, occasional instances where the source
of nourishment is dried by frequent use of an exterminating
agent, but there is also this consideration, that the renewed
growth is likely to be thicker than the original, the treat-
ment acting as a pruning treatment.
34 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
Peroxide sometimes acts beneficially, but although I in-
tend to give some formulas for external application. I do
not wish it to be thought that I recommend them. More
powerful ones, that sometimes scar the skin, I decline to
give, but the simpler ones will not injure the surface.
An old-time remedy is composed of two parts of sul-
phurate of calcium to one part quicklime. The ingredients
are powdered separately, thoroughly mingled, and kept dry
in a tightly corked bottle. When applied they are made into
a paste with water, and spread over the growth, and allowed
to remain fifteen minutes or more, or until there is a sen-
sation of smarting. The paste is then washed off with soap
and tepid water. If the irritation is pronounced zinc oint-
ment may be rubbed on. The hairs will drop shortly. An-
other, said to be quite safe, is a quarter of an ounce of quick-
lime, half an ounce of carbonate of soda and two ounces of
lard. They are made into a paste and applied as the first.
Electrolysis is by no means an infallible cure, because,
unless properly done, it merely kills the growth and not the
roots. It works by the application of an electric needle that
is supposed to go beneath the skin surface to the root. But
unless the angle of the hair root is followed the result is
no better than from external application. That this is fre-
quently the case is attested by the number of times super-
fluous hair comes in again after electrical treatment, and
for that reason the utmost care should be taken to have a
reliable operator.
Peroxide, while it acts slowly, sometimes gives the best
results of any external application, for the reason that it
bleaches the hairs, rendering them less conspicuous, and so
dries the nourishment as to kill the root entirely. It is used
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 35
merely by wetting the surface, but attention must be given
that the skin is not injured by becoming overdry.
DANDRUFF CURE
Boracic acid, one dram; lavendar water, two and one-half
ounces.
Mix, and massage into the scalp every other night.
SIMPLE TREATMENT FOR DANDRUFF
A CONDITION of the scalp which is merely one of
dandruff requires the most careful attention or it
will become a disease. This state shows in a con-
stant itching and in the presence of scabs on the head, and
unless checked will cause the hair to fall in patches. In
different cases the crusts may be hard or soft, but if in the
former condition they must be dissolved before shampooing,
or the soreness will be painful. The whole head should be
anointed with olive oil, letting this remain on for at least
two hours. At the end of that time a combination of tgg
and lime water must be used in shampooing.
Whether the crusts be hard or soft, tgg and lime water
are best, but it is only when the crusts are hard that oil
must be the preliminary application.
One raw egg to half a pint of lime water forms the pro-
portion. They are beaten together and are to be well rubbed
over the scalp and through the hair. If the head is sensi-
tive, as it must be when in such condition, the application
should be made with the finger tips, taking care not to in-
crease the soreness. Washing is done in clear warm water,
soap not being required.
Where dandruff is excessive without soreness of the scalp,
36 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
quillai bark makes an excellent shampoo. The bark is put
into warm water, left for several hours, and shaken at in-
tervals, to infuse. The liquid will be soapy, and precludes
the necessity for other cleansing agents.
Should the scalp be so sore it is sensitive to the touch,
it may be necessary to resort to zinc ointment, which has
healing qualities. This should be rubbed gently into the
scalp before shampooing, parting the hair frequently, that
all sections of the skin may be treated. Egg and lime
water may then be put on to cleanse before rinsing in clear
water.
Washing is to be done not oftener than once a month,
and the daily application of a tonic in the interim is to be
considered imperative. One specially suited to the condition
— or whenever the scalp is so dry it causes powdery dan-
druff— is made from three ounces of cocoanut oil, four and
one-half drams of tincture of nux vomica, two ounces of
bay rum and forty drops of oil of bergamot. These should
be shaken to mix, and are rubbed into the scalp at night
with a piece of sponge, or, better, with the finger tips, the
hair being parted frequently that the skin, not the hair,
shall be anointed.
A CURE— WHEN DANDRUFF CAUSES HAIR TO FALL
AN excellent method for stopping the falling of hair
when dandruff causes the trouble, is to give the scalp
a gentle shampoo without soap, using the yolks of
two eggs beaten in half a pint of lime. This must be thor-
oughly massaged over the head and washed out in clear
warm water, finishing with a douche of cold to contract the
pores.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 37
A lotion for use at such times is made from one and one-
half drams of pure glycerine and two ounces of lime water.
This is mixed thoroughly, and once every two weeks the
scalp is anointed with it, a soft brush being the best way
of putting it on. One the size of a tooth brush should be
selected. The hair is parted at close intervals, and the wet
brush is drawn through each line. After this treatment
the scalp must be massaged by holding the finger tips closely
against it and then bending the knuckles. This is done to
every part of the scalp, the purpose being to stimulate
circulation and bring health.
After having made two applications of the lime-water
lotion add to the original quantity one-quarter of an ounce
of tincture of cantharides. This is put on every night for
two weeks.
When that quantity has been exhausted the treatment
may be changed to the use of another tonic, made from
one-half ounce each of castor oil and strong liquid ammonia,
one ounce of best French brandy and three ounces of rose
water. This is put on only every other night, although mas-
sage must be given every night.
Should the latter tonic irritate the scalp, causing the
slightest itching or pain, it must not be used again, and the
first tonic, in which is tincture of cantharides, must be ap-
plied. As the scalp grows stronger the second lotion may
be used.
No matter how oily the scalp may become, washing must
not be done oftener than once a month. When the greasy
condition is excessive a small quantity of lime water may
be put on with a little sponge, using just enough to moisten
the scalp but not to make it damp.
38 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
At the end of three months, if this treatment is followed,
the head will be in a far healthier condition than before.
The process is a slow one, as building up always is.
CHAPTER III
SHAMPOOS
SHAMPOO MIXTURES FOR BLONDES AND BRUNETTES
TO keep the hair at its best a shampoo suitable to the
scalp must be used. For, contrary to the general
opinion, what is effective for one person may be
detrimental to another. For instance, dark hair requires
different cleansing ingredients than would be used for
blondes, because certain kinds affect the color. For exam-
ple, a blonde should never use anything containing sulphur
or iron, any more than a brunette should apply soda.
The last chemical, ammonia, and borax, are brightening
in effect, but drying, so that if yellow hair is washed in
either close attention must be given that the bath is not
doing it harm. Brunettes will do well to apply yolks of
eggs, subcarbonate of potash and claret, the latter being a
popular ingredient in countries where the wine is inexpen-
sive. Containing iron, as it does, it is excellent both as a
tonic and for coloring matter.
A cleansing mixture adapted to light hair, that brightens
without dyeing, is made from equal parts of dried rhubarb
and strained honey, steeped for twenty-four hours in three
parts of white wine. At the end of that period the mixture,
which should have been tightly covered, must be strained,
and the head and long hair entirely covered with it. The
39
40 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
preparation should stay on for at least half an hour, and
until dry. It then must be washed off in clear water, with
a little bicarbonate of soda in the final rinse.
Oils are likely to have a darkening effect upon really light
hair, and should be eliminated from all applications.
A simple soap cleaning jelly is made by scraping a cake
of castile soap and putting it into a clean saucepan with
a pint of boiling water. Then let the kettle stand where it
will keep warm until the soap is dissolved, when the liquid
is poured into a wide-mouthed jar. It is jelly when cold.
To use, it is diluted with one raw white of egg to each
teaspoonful of the jelly and a tablespoonful of water. One-
half teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda for each tablespoon-
ful of soap may be added, unless it dries the hair too much.
Whites of eggs are among the most gentle and cleansing
applications that can be made. They are slightly beaten
and then thoroughly rubbed over the head and through the
hair. No soap is needed unless the scalp is particularly
dirty.
A shampoo suited to brunettes is made by beating two
yolks of raw eggs into half a pint of claret, adding a gill
of water. This is thoroughly rubbed over, without more
water until the shampoo has been worked in.
For sticky and oily hair a strong cleansing mixture is
made from two ounces of green soap (potash) to an ounce
of alcohol, the two being thoroughly mingled before being
rubbed over the scalp. This is drying, and not to be used
for hair of ordinary texture.
Photo by Joel Feder, New York.
GIVING A DRY SHAMPOO.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 41
HOW TO GIVE A DRY SHAMPOO
MANY women injure their scalps by shampooing too
often. Of course, cleanliness is as necessary for a
hygienic condition of the head as it is for the body,
but too much washing dries the oils, deprives the hair of
nourishment, causes it to have a dry and lusterless aspect,
and finally to fall.
A dry shampoo is one of the best kinds of treatment that
can be given, and if one can take this the third week after
washing, and wait another two weeks before the next wet
shampoo, the scalp may be kept clean without exhausting
the oils.
For the dry process an application that aids is made from
two gills of New England rum, a gill of bay rum, one ounce
of glycerine and a quarter of an ounce each of carbonate of
potash, borax and carbonate of ammonia. The borax, am-
monia and potash must be put into the alcohols, and when
dissolved the glycerine should be added. A thorough shak-
ing is required to mingle these ingredients, and the mixture
must be shaken before it is used.
Less expensive is another preparation, made from two
ounces of lavender water, half an ounce of borax, one and
one-half ounces of orange-flower water and one-quarter of
an ounce of tincture of cochineal. The last and borax are
put into the cologne, the sweet water being added when
mingling is complete.
Both of these preparations are applied in the same man-
ner, using a small sponge and then rubbing the scalp. They
are left to dry in.
As to the actual work of a dry shampoo, the first essential
42 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
is to comb and brush the hair to remove all tangles. Then
a shampoo mixture is poured into a saucer, and with a
sponge is put on the scalp after the hair has been divided
into many parts. In applying a liquid a part is made close
to the forehead, the sponge is dipped into the fluid and then
rubbed along a line in the scalp. Another division is made
close by and the rubbing repeated. This is continued until
every portion of the scalp has been cleansed. This work
will take fifteen or twenty minutes.
After that the hair is brought back, and a little massage
may be given, paying special attention to the portion over
the temples, where hair is apt to grow thin. This massage
is nothing more than holding the finger tips firmly on the
scalp, then bending the finger joints so the skin of the head
moves over the skull. This drives in the external appli-
cation, at the same time stimulating circulation. It is an
excellent treatment.
This done, if the patience is not exhausted, a tonic may
be put on. The latter is not necessary, for both of the
shampoo creams suggested have tonic properties; but if
the scalp is inclined to be dry it is an excellent plan to rub
in a mixture of an ounce and a half of white vaseline, three-
quarters of an ounce of cold drawn castor oil, three-quarters
of a dram of gallic acid and fifteen drops of oil of lavender.
This is best applied by dipping the finger tips into the cream,
which must then be worked into the scalp.
A final brushing and combing complete the treatment,
which, if given with a degree of regularity, will be of great-
est benefit to the scalp and hair.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 43
HAIR NEEDS AIR MORE THAN SHAMPOOS IN SUMMER
MORE necessary, even, than washing, is airing the hair
in summer, when, no matter how oily the scalp may
be, it should not be shampooed oftener than once
a month. As to the airing, a woman whose tresses are
thick should never fail to do them in two braids at night.
To twist them on the head, and pin there, is to invite thin-
ness. One braid is better than that, but the scalp gets no
refreshment even then ; but by making two braids ventilation
may be secured.
Preparatory to the airing a part should be put through
the center, from forehead to the nape of the neck, and each
half then brought over the ear, in order to leave the middle
of the head free. The braids should be loose.
This is not to be done until a thorough brushing and
airing of the locks has been given. For this treatment a
long bristle brush should be chosen, and the hair divided into
strands. Each of these, taken separately, should be brushed,
beginning by placing the tips of the bristles on the scalp.
The brush must then be drawn through the locks down to
the ends. This should be repeated several times, and each,
strand placed out of the way as it is finished.
The instant a sour odor comes, washing must be done.
Only shampooing will cleanse them, and nothing is more
disagreeable than the effect of perspiration. If there is a
tendency to oiliness, and because of warm weather an odor
comes quickly, I think an egg shampoo is the best. For this
raw eggs are beaten, a tablespoonful of water being added
to each tgg. For an ordinary head of hair two are enough.
44 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
These eggs are rubbed into the scalp and over the hair, no
soap being used. Should there be the least trace of perspira-
tion afterward there may be a final rinse in soda water, using
a level teaspoonful of bicarbonate to a basinful of water.
As this is drying in effect it should not be used unless
necessary. When drying it is well to let the sun strike the
head a little, but not for more than five minutes.
It is restful to the scalp if the hair is dressed a different
way in the morning, in warm weather. In the early part
of the day, when simple frocks are worn, it may be twisted
or braided at the back, making an elaborate coiffure for
afternoon. This insures the head being cool in all places at
different times.
DRYING HAIR WITH HEAT INJURES THE ROOTS
ONE of the most common errors in washing hair is to
dry it by heat. This is harmful, for shampooing
extracts so much of the necessary natural oil which
acts as nourishment that to absorb more by steam or elec-
tricity is decidedly hurtful. Therefore, no matter what the
necessity for a "quick dry," the temptation to hang the
tresses over a radiator or before a register must be resisted,
and the locks must be dried by rubbing with towels, letting
the mass hang loose at times while resting the arms. The
most attention must be given the scalp and the upper parts
of the hair near the scalp, for the lower will dry itself. If
there is the slightest disposition to waviness, when dry, only
a comb should be used in removing the snarls, for a brush
straightens too much.
CHAPTER IV
BLEACHES AND DYES
BLEACH FOR TAN
Put half a pint of rich milk into a porcelain kettle and bring
it to a boil. Skim carefully, and add one=quarter of an ounce of
strained lemon juice. Remove from the heat and pour in one-half
ounce of white brandy.
Bottle when cold, and apply to the face at night with a
soft cloth, letting the mixture stay on all night. Wipe over
the face again in the morning after washing.
LEMON IS BLEACH FOR TAN AND SUNBURN
ON summer dressing-tables lemons should always be
placed, for this fruit is an excellent bleach, and light
freckles, a thin coat of tan, and stains of various
kinds that assail the skin, disappear with its use. Be it
understood, however, that the acid is not strong enough
to remove deep color, and that only by applying it constantly
will it be efficacious. Also, like every other such whitener,
it has disadvantages, and constant application of it is dry-
ing. For this reason its effect must be watched, and if there
comes an appearance of chapping for a few days use of the
acid must be omitted. This is less likely to occur in warm
than in cold weather.
One merit of lemon juice as a cosmetic is its cleansing
properties, so that it may be brought into requisition both,
before and after washing.
45
46 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
For the face, unless badly sunburned or freckled, it is an
excellent plan to wipe over the complexion with the juice,
then wash, and again put it on, letting this last moisture
dry into the skin.
Rather than squeeze the juice, and put on with a cloth,
as is sometimes done, I like to rub it on directly. To do
this the lemon may be cut in two, and one-half becomes a
swab or pad that is thoroughly rubbed over the surface.
After a few minutes the outer slice should be cut off, leav-
ing a new surface with which to work. Then, if cleansing
is the point, a soft cloth must be mopped over the skin to
take out the dust. Rubbing and wiping should continue
until the cloth shows no trace of grime. When bleaching
is the object, as for sunburn and tan, a final rub with the
fruit is essential, letting the last application dry in.
Water must not be used when the skin is discolored, or
burning, from exposure to sun or wind .
An excellent cleanser for the hands may be made
by melting or softening cold cream and adding to it lemon
juice and powdered pumice. An ounce of cream to a tea-
spoonful of pumice and a teaspoonful of juice is a good
proportion, and the pumice must be put in before the juice.
When the last is added the mixture must be stirred con-
stantly to combine it all.
RECIPES FOR THE MAKING OF BLEACHING CREAMS
BLEACHING creams should be used by girls and women
who spend their vacations at the seashore or moun-
tains, where their skins tan or freckle, for it is a
mistake not to remove burns or freckles before cold weather,
as the chill has an unpleasant way of settling the color.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 47
Before giving formulas for any cold creams I wish to
state this about mixing them: More than half the fail-
ures are due to the fact that, in preparing, the fats used are
allowed to become hot. Once this happens the chance of
their congealing is small, or, if they do, the quality is not
apt to be good. Spermaceti and white wax — indeed, any
such ingredients — should be softened, this includes a slight
warming, but nothing more. If they are broken into small
bits before being put into the mixing bath success will be
greater.
Another secret in the art of mixing creams consists in
beating them. Some persons use a new eggbeater for the
purpose, but I prefer a silver fork, wishing that only pure
metal shall come in contact with the cream. It is not enough
to stir; beating, precisely similar to that given to eggs, is
best.
The vessels in which the creams are prepared must be
of china or glass. Metal of any kind is highly undesirable,
and will probably take away from the pure whiteness of the
mixture. A plain china cup is excellent.
A cream especially recommended for the aftermath of
sunburn and tan is made from two ounces of sweet almond
oil, three drams each of white wax and spermaceti, one
dram of borax, three-quarters of an ounce of glycerine, one
ounce of orange-flower water and eight drops each of
orange-skin oil, oils of neroli and petit grain.
The spermaceti and wax must be broken and put into a
cup placed in a pan of boiling water. The almond oil should
then be poured in, and as soon as the fats are soft the cup
removed. In the glycerine the orange-flower water must
be mingled, the borax being well mixed with them. This
48 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
preparation is then added to the fats, beating constantly. If
the cream begins to harden before the mixture is complete,
it is replaced in the bath for a moment. The perfumed oils
go in last. When finished the cream should be of the con-
sistency its name implies.
Cucumber cream is adapted for such use. It is made by
mixing two ounces of almond oil and half an ounce each
of white wax and spermaceti with an ounce of cucumber
juice. The latter is made by washing a cucumber and cut-
ting it into small bits, peel and all. About a teaspoonful of
water is added, and the cucumber placed on the fire where
it will heat slowly and simmer gently until the mass is pulpy.
It is strained through a cloth, and when cold is beaten into
the cream. Ten drops of tincture of benzoin improve it.
Mixing is done as was described for the first formula.
BLEACHES FOR RED FACE
EXTREME redness of the face, when it does not come
from the use of intoxicants, is likely to be caused by
impoverished blood, which does not circulate prop-
erly through the veins, or from indigestion. Either one
may cause flushing of the entire face or of one portion, such
as the nose or cheeks and chin. Of that there is no doubt,
and it sometimes happens that external applications may aid
in a cure.
One that may be improving is made from one dram of
iodide of potassium, half a pint of distilled water and half
an ounce of glycerine. To mix, the water and iodide should
be thoroughly blended before the glycerine is added. It is
rubbed over the face morning and night with a soft bit of
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 49
linen, and its use must be discontinued for a time if the skin
begins to chap under it.
Another, suited to redness of the nose and surface appli-
cation to the face in any other portion that becomes unduly
red, is made from fifteen grains of tannic acid dissolved in
live ounces of camphor water. This is put on several times
a day, drying in. Like the first, its effect upon the skin must
be watched, and should it cause dryness must be discon-
tinued for a time.
For surface bleach, when the skin and not the blood ves-
sels is to be treated, an application which acts slowly but
well is made from two ounces of lactic acid, one ounce of
glycerine and half an ounce of rosewater. It is applied as is
the first two. Mercurial lotion, which may not be used if
there is any eruption of the face, is the strongest bleach
made and is to be brought into requisition with great dis-
crimination, I think. It is made by dissolving ten grains of
corrosive sublimate crystals in half a pint each of rose and
distilled waters. The work should be done by a chemist.
It is used by wiping over the face morning and night with
a soft cloth. The liquid is poison if taken internally.
SUGGESTIONS ABOUT REMOVING YELLOW STAINS
FROM NECK
HIGH collars are almost sure to ruin even pretty necks
by making yellow lines and fine wrinkles in the skin.
For the tight neck dressings interfere with the free
circulation of the blood, thus starving the tissues and caus-
ing the local muscles to become flabby.
50 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
To avoid such injury the collars should not be worn so
tight that the neck cannot be moved freely inside the band.
I recommend to every woman that she shall give special
attention to this detail when having frocks made, and that
her collar may be as high as she likes, but with breathing
space, as it were, for the skin they cover.
Massaging every night I believe a sovereign course for
preventing discoloration and keeping the throat firm and in
generally good condition. A cream I like for this purpose is
made of an ounce of benzoated oxide of zinc ointment and
two drams of strong spirits of camphor. This, by the way,
is an excellent astringent, and may be worked into the face
about twice a week.
For the neck treatment, the skin should be thoroughly
washed every night with warm water and soap, letting the
water stay on long enough to open the pores. All soap must
be rinsed out. While the skin is still soft the cream is rubbed
in, applying it always with a rotary motion, especially under
the chin where the cords first lose their strength. The stroke
should be a firm one, continuing all the way around, the
greatest effort being directed about on the line where the
collar ceases. This massage must take five minutes and even
longer. When it is over the throat should be patted with a
soft bit of dry linen.
Another piece of muslin is then dipped into cold water
and patted wet over the flesh. This serves to contract the
pores opened by washing and rubbing. To be efficacious the
water must be positively cold and generously applied. Dry-
ing is done by mopping, not rubbing.
In the morning, instead of using water for cleansing, the
throat may be wet with a lotion of a quarter of an ounce of
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 51
powdered borax, half an ounce of pure glycerine and a pint
of camphor water. This is patted in and wiped off, drying
with a rotary motion, as in massaging.
When the line about the throat has developed until it is
yellow, some persons favor bleaching by a gentle burn. For
this a paste is made of dry English mustard, taking a table-
spoonful and mixing it into a paste with a teaspoonful of
sweet almond oil and as' much lemon juice as may be re-
quired. This is rubbed on the discoloration night and morn-
ing and left until the skin smarts. It is then washed off with
warm water. After several days the skin will peel, usually
without hurt, and the discoloration should disappear. The
camphor water lotion last given is then used.
A fact to be taken into consideration is that the same
bleach will not do for every skin. That which is admirably
suited to one, and may restore the neck to pristine freshness,
would be entirely inefficacious for another. This is because
the quality of the skin differs, the epidermis of one being
thicker than that of another, and so less easily affected.
Citric acid, the basis of many bleaches, is made from
lemons, and incidentally simple lemon juice, if used steadily,
will accomplish whiteness for many persons, but citric acid
seldom fails. It is the strong agent in a formula composed of
one and one-half drams of the citric acid, five and one-half
ounces of hot water, a dram of borax and half an ounce of
glycerine. The acid and borax are dissolved in the water,
the glycerine being mixed in later. It should stand over
night and then be strained through fine muslin. If wished,
the glycerine may be omitted until after straining and a few
drops of rose essence then combined.
52 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
This mixture should be wiped over the discoloration
morning and night and allowed to dry on.
Of equal strength, but more suited to some persons, is a
lotion made from two ounces of lactic acid, one ounce of
glycerine and half an ounce of rosewater. This is put on not
only morning and night but during the day with a soft piece
of linen.
BLACK AND BROWN DYES FOR GRAY HAIR
NO dye gray hair black use sage tea, a harmless color-
ing lotion that is made by steeping gently two ounces
each of green tea and dried sage in three quarts of
water until only two quarts are left. When reduced in this
manner it must stand for twenty-four hours, then the liquid
should be strained off. More than one application of this is
required to get the best effects, and a small brush or fine
comb that will put on the tea evenly is best. It must be
applied nightly, and unless care is taken will stain the pil-
low. The tea does not keep long without souring, and I
know of nothing to preserve it.
Walnut shells also make a stain that is almost black, and
an English preparation for walnut dye suggests buying the
hulls from a druggist, chopping, and putting loosely into a
large-mouthed jar. A preserving jar is good. Over this
enough alcohol to cover is poured. This stands for a week,
tightly covered, then the liquid is poured off. The husks
are pressed then and the second liquid added to the first.
This done, the husks are covered with water and simmered
for fifteen minutes. Again they are strained, and the water,
when cold, put with the alcohol. A heavier shade is made
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 53
by boiling the water, always slowly, until the husks are
reduced to a pulp. This is also strained through a muslin,
and when cold the alcohol is mixed with it.
This stain or any other will be useless if the hair has not
been previously washed and dried before the coloring mate-
rial is put on. The least trace of grease prevents the dye
from adhering, and for this reason soda or ammonia in
the washing and rinsing waters becomes imperative. And
the dyeing agents are what injure the roots, for they make
the scalp unnaturally dry.
MINERAL BLACK AND BROWN DYES FOR GRAY HAIR
BROWN and jet black mineral dyes for gray hair that
are more powerful, and hence more lasting, than the
preparations described in the last chapter, are mixed
in this way :
For a pronounced black coloring use a solution of a dram
and a half of nitrate of silver to two ounces of distilled
water.
A dark brown is made by adding to this solution an equal
amount of distilled water, while double the amount of water
put to the original solution will make a light brown. To
give exact directions for a shade is impossible, for the color,
after it dries, is governed by the original shade of the hair.
It is only by experimenting that a person will find what
suits.
Besides the dye a mordant is required to make the color
hold. One of the simplest of these is made of one and a
half drams of sulphuret of potassium, an ounce of distilled
water, three-quarters of a dram of liquor of potassa and two
54 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
drops of oil of anise seed. When used this is diluted with
five times the amount of water.
To dye the hair, begin by washing it, for no color will
"take" without a preliminary shampoo.
Then comes the mordant. This is applied with a fine-
tooth comb ; every strand is covered, evenly and quickly, care
being taken not to wet the scalp. This preparation dries on, v
and then the dye may be applied.
No person can color her own hair. The work must be
done by another, and as with the mordant, a fine-tooth comb
is necessary. To put on, the coloring is poured into a deep
plate, like a soap dish, and the comb is wet and evenly and
quickly pulled through every part of the hair, taking care
not to get on more dye in one place than in another, or the
after effect will be streaked. It takes skilful work to do
this dyeing, simple though it may seem. If the scaly be-
comes colored the spots should be washed off with a wet
cloth. The dye dries in a short time.
Coloring should not be done oftener than once a month,
and every few days a little oil carefully rubbed over the
tresses will neutralize the action of the dye. Some persons
prefer brilliantine rather than oil to counteract the effect of
coloring.
TO COLOR HAIR A BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN TINT
TO bleach the hair is quite as injurious as to stain it
dark, for breakage and drying follow inevitably.
Besides peroxide there are one or two other applica-
tions that will make a tone golden, but I have yet to see
any bleached hair, even that done with henna, which has
not a certain straw shade nature's color never evidences.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 55
When peroxide is used the hair is washed and thoroughly
dried. Indeed, a shampoo must always first be given, and
there must be soda or ammonia in the rinsing water in order
to cut all natural oils from the hair, for the least trace re-
maining will prevent a bleach from working. Drying must
also be complete.
This done, peroxide of hydrogen is poured into a deep
receptacle, into which a comb may be thrust, or into a large
shallow one suited to the bristles of a brush. A comb as an
agent for applying will make a more even finish, but a brush
is less apt to wet the scalp, and great effort must be made
to keep the head skin untouched by the application.
Whichever implement one decides to use, the bleach must
be put on evenly and the hair allowed to dry. If the color
is not sufficiently reduced a second and even a third appli-
cation should be made. The hair will inevitably be ruined
by the treatment, for it will be stiff, coarse and dry after a
time.
Henna is thought to be less harmful, and with some
hair produces more of a golden tint than may be secured by
using peroxide.
A paste for this purpose is made from four ounces of
powdered henna and four drams each of acetic acid, white
honey, strained, and powdered rhubarb. These are well
mingled before enough hot water is put in to make a paste.
After the shampoo and drying, as previously directed, the
paste is applied evenly over every inch of hair, and one sits
in the sun for two hours. At the end of that time the prep-
aration is washed off in water in which is no soap, but about
a teaspoonful of ammonia. All traces of paste are to be
removed, and drying is done in the sun again.
56 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
TO RESTORE BLEACHED AND DYED HAIR TO
ORIGINAL SHADE
SAD is the predicament of a woman who has bleached or
dyed her hair. For, having changed the color through
chemical process, it becomes necessary for her to con-
tinue the treatment or have a head of hair that is streaked.
And yet, to continue the process indefinitely is out of the
question, because both bleaches and dyes so dry and break
the locks that the longer the treatment lasts the worse the
hair becomes.
Advanced though science is, there is nothing yet known
that will bring back the original condition quickly. Time
and care alone will do it, and the interval of transition is
one calculated to bring sorrow and desire for seclusion. The
change will begin of its own accord at the roots, as new
hair grows out, but the long tresses will stay almost as they
were when being treated, save that the shade will become
dingy and worn, and a general "many-colored" aspect evi-
dent.
It is true that attention which will help to stimulate the
natural oils while providing a substitute for them at first,
will hasten an improvement.
The treatment after bleaching or dyeing is the same.
Massage, brushing and grease are to be applied every day.
At night, after the hairpins have been taken out, a long->
bristled brush should be drawn through the tresses, from)
scalp to ends, for at least five minutes, and preferably ten.
The hair is to be divided into sections, that are stroked
separately, that each portion shall have a thorough going
over. I would then suggest using a tonic made from one
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS '57
and one-half ounces of cocoanut oil, two and a quarter drams
of tincture of nux vomica, one ounce of Jamaica bay rum
and twenty drops of oil of bergamot. This is greasy, and
is to be kept from the long hair.
Divisions are made, one at a time, close together on the
scalp, and the tonic rubbed in with the finger tips, until every
part of the surface has been gone over. Then the scalp
requires massage to drive in the application, the finger tips
being rested securely on the head and the joints moved with-
out displacing the tips. This causes the scalp to move over
the skull. It is better to apply the tonic a little at a time
each day than to put on a great deal every other day. If
too large quantities of it are employed the hair will become
so clogged that to dress it is impossible.
In the morning there should be another thorough brush-
ing, the bristles made to touch the scalp at every part.
CHAPTER V
HANDS
TO WHITEN HANDS
Strained honey, one ounce; lemon juice, one ounce; cologne, one
ounce.
Mix, and rub well into the hands at night, then wear a pair
of large kid gloves, the palms split for ventilation.
TO SOFTEN AND WHITEN HANDS
TO whiten and soften the hands is such a simple and
inexpensive task that there is no excuse for coarse-
skinned ringers and broken nails.
In treating the hands gloves are the first essential to
beauty, and for this purpose a cast-off pair belonging to
the man of the family should be selected, for his are more
desirable than a woman's because the large fingers do not
cramp muscles in the woman's hand. As to the kinds of
men's gloves, white ones are better than dark, because oc-
casionally the dye rubs off. This, however, is not common.
Next to gloves, grease is necessary. Taking it all in all,
for real solid work, when the hands are often put into hot
water and come in contact with strong soaps, I believe vase-
line is better than any other oil. It is more penetrating,
being quickly absorbed by the pores, and it counteracts the
drying effect of an excess of water. In my opinion, a pot
58
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 59
of vaseline on the sink of a woman who does her own work
is more important than a cake of toilet soap. The latter
will not get into the pores of her skin — that is, will not
thoroughly clean her fingers: while by using a quantity of
vaseline as though it were soap, rubbing it in well, and then
washing off with hot water, the soil is quickly removed.
In addition to applying this grease a mild soap is certainly
desirable, but it is not imperative.
Next in effectiveness to vaseline is sweet almond oil. I
believe in it more than in cold cream, because the action of
the latter is less rapid than that of the other two kinds of
grease, and therefore they are more desirable for the hands,
but not for the face.
On occasions when it is necessary to put the fingers into
water, vaseline should be rubbed on as soon as the skin can
be wiped. If strong soap has been used in housecleaning
there should be two distinct applications of grease, the first
being worked in after drying the flesh, when a wash with
gentle soap must be given, as already suggested; then fol-
lows another rubbing with vaseline, which remains when
the gloves are fitted in place. These gloves become soaked,
and then are the best that can be had for softening and whit-
ening the skin.
At night a special pair should be used, and on going to
bed sweet almond oil must be generously rubbed on the flesh,
and then the hands should be thickly covered with powdered
French chalk before the kid coverings are pulled on. In
the morning the fingers will be dry and appreciably softer.
6o HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
CARE OF HANDS IN COLD WEATHER
ONLY proper care will keep the hands soft and white
in winter if there is the least sluggishness of circu-
lation, for unless the blood flows freely cold tem-
perature either causes it to settle in the fingers, making
them extremely red, or prevents it from reaching them, and
so they become pinched and dry.
Between these two conditions there is no choice, and when
the latter prevails the skin hardens and that about the nails
gets into a painful condition. Treatment for the two, how-
ever, differs widely after the first aid, which consists in try-
ing to prevent them from being chilled, is accomplished.
As to the treatment, contrary to general opinion, a muff
does not always make the flesh warm. Kid gloves are cold,
and when the hands are thus covered a muff becomes neces-
sary. The warmth afforded by the fur and the lack of air
on the hands induces perspiration, so the kid becomes wet.
Then the first moment the gloves are withdrawn from their
protection they get cold, and hold the chill, which is in-
stantly passed to the skin. The moist kid prevents the chill
from leaving, and injury to the hands is then started.
The best way of keeping the fingers warm is to wear loose
kid or dogskin gloves, pulling heavy woolen ones over them.
The leather holds the natural warmth and the outer woolen
prevents the cold from striking through.
If in addition to the wearing of two pairs of gloves a
woman can rub on cold cream, her hands will become, in
time, beautifully soft. In applying this nourishing food
it should be worked into the fingers and backs of the hands,
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 61
especially on the cuticle at the base of the nails, before the
gloves are pulled on. And unless too much grease is ap-
plied it will not soak through the leather.
As a rule, by the time one comes in from walking, and
removes the gloves, the cream will have been absorbed.
Then the fingers must be washed and wiped with glycerine
and rosewater, in proportion of a third of the former to
two-thirds of the latter, having five drops of carbolic acid to
each gill of the mixture. The superfluous amount on the
skin may be wiped off.
An excessive degree of heat injures the hands if applied
when they are cold or are predisposed to chill. Washing
should be done only in tepid water, and the condition will be
much helped if a teaspoonful of glycerine is added to every
pint. Natural heat must be restored by rubbing and exer-
cising, never by holding the hands over a register or radi-
ator.
At all times grease should be kept on, for this feeds the
tissues from which the normal amount of oils is lacking.
Always, after wetting the hands, grease in some form must
be applied, even though it is wiped off directly afterward.
PASTES THAT WHITEN THE HANDS
A PASTE that will quickly restore reddened skin to
whiteness is made from one ounce of powdered
myrrh, four ounces of strained honey, two ounces
of yellow wax and six ounces of rose water. The wax is
melted in a cup set into a pan of boiling water. While the
liquid is warm the myrrh goes in, the cup then being removed
from the heat. After a thorough beating the honey and
62 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
rosewater are used, adding the latter slowly. If the paste
is too thick to spread easily it should be thinned with glycer-
ine. The application is excellent for the arms and throat,
as well as the hands.
More delicate is a mixture of a dram of oil of sweet
almonds, half a dram each of glycerine and rice flour, a
dram of fresh yolks of eggs, half an ounce of rosewater,
and eighteen drops of tincture of benzoin. The ingredients
are mixed in a china or glass bowl and beaten to a smooth
paste. Because of the presence of eggs, the paste will not
keep longer than three days, so must be made in small
quantities. It should stand in a refrigerator when not re-
quired.
When the hands are so chapped as to be painful a more
healing application is made from one ounce each of cocoa
butter and sweet almond oil, a dram each of oxide of zinc
and borax, and six drops of oil of bergamot. The cocoa
butter is broken into a cup and set in a basin of hot water,
the oil of sweet almonds added as the first ingredient melts.
As soon as blended the zinc and borax are put in, stirring
quickly and thoroughly. If the cream begins to harden
before mixing is complete the cup may be returned a moment
to the hot bath. The bergamot goes in just before the hard-
ening is complete.
Before annointing the hands with this bathe with a pulp
of linseed oil and bitter almond oil. After a moment this
is washed off in water which contains a small percentage
of benzoin.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 63
DISH WASHING BEAUTIFIES HANDS
HOWEVER much a girl may dislike dish washing, she
need not evade it because she thinks it will hurt her
hands, for even the hottest water and strong soap
will do no damage if a little "before and after" treatment
is taken.
The object to be attained is to prevent laundry soap from
drying the skin, making innumerable almost invisible cracks.
Small as these are, they are still sufficiently deep to catch
and hold dust, making a grimy aspect. This same condition
will result from the use of any soap that has too much
alkali, even though one does no housework. The counter
irritant in either case is grease. Greasy water is not the
same thing, however.
One who must wash dishes regularly should keep a large
jar of cold cream, a nail brush and a nail stick, with a bit
of absorbent cotton, at the sink. A cream admirably suited
to the purpose is made from two ounces each of rosewater
and almond oil, and half an ounce each of white wax and
spermaceti. It is made by breaking the two last into small
pieces and putting them into a cup set into boiling water.
As soon as the pieces soften the almond oil is added and the
cup is then removed from the bath. The rosewater is beaten
in slowly, using a silver fork. If the cream begins to harden
before all the sweet water is in, the cup must be returned
to the bath for a few moments. The cream must not be
allowed to become hot.
Before washing any dishes the hands should be rubbed
with cream, putting it on carefully at the base of the nails.
Over this, if liked, some powdered French chalk may be
64 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
thickly dusted, but the latter is not required. The hands
may then be put into the soapy water and the work done
without injury.
As soon as the last dish is washed warm water should be
drawn into a small basin and the hands washed carefully,
using a mild toilet soap. The nails must then be brushed
and cleaned with as much care as though one had been dig-
ging in the dirt. Following this, wiping is done in the
usual fashion.
This bath is for the purpose of removing any grease that
may have adhered to the skin, but it will not counteract the
effect of hard and soiled water. To accomplish this, more
cold cream is rubbed over the hands and nails, using it as
though it were soap. Wiping, not washing, follows, and
great care must be taken that all surface cream is removed,
or the hands will soon become soiled. If friction is done
with a soft towel, and all parts of the ringers are rubbed,
there will be no sensation of greasiness, and at the same
time the pores will have been filled with a preparation that
prevents damage from the work.
STAINS MAY BE EASILY REMOVED FROM HANDS
PUMICE stone, either powdered or in tablet form, is
invaluable on a dressing-table for the removal of
stains from the hands, and when supplemented by
lemon juice there are few discolorations it will not dissipate.
Nothing of this sort must be applied any oftener than neces-
sary, for it will undoubtedly make the skin hard.
In my opinion, a rubbing with some refining lotion should
be given after such a washing. I am a strong advocate of
glycerine and rosewater, as it is both efficacious and inex-
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 65
pensive. Common water may be substituted for the rose,
when expense is to be considered, and one-third of glycerine
is put to two-thirds of water. Ten drops of carbolic acid
to half a pint of the mixture makes it more bleaching and
healing. A few drops are applied after washing, before
drying, and are wiped off at once. It is not unpleasant to
use in warm weather.
Pure cucumber juice is another excellent whitener, the
vegetable being washed, cut, skin and all, and gently sim-
mered until the mass is pulpy. It is then strained through
muslin. Only enough water is put with it before cooking
to keep it from sticking to the pan. When cold enough tinc-
ture of benzoin, to make the liquid milky, is added. This
is rubbed on through the day and at night. Should it make
the skin feel overdry, cold cream must be employed at the
same time.
TREATMENT FOR PERSPIRING HANDS
EXCESSIVE perspiration of the hands, as a rule, indi-
cates a run-down condition of the system that re-
quires internal treatment to cure. Of course, local
applications will temporarily relieve the unpleasantness, but
powders and lotions that close the pores eventually dry the
skin, so their effect must be closely watched.
A tonic that affects some beneficially is made from four
ounces of alcohol and half an ounce of tincture of bella-
donna. With this mixture the palms are wiped several times
a day, the liquid drying on. It evaporates quickly. This,
however, should not reach the backs of the hands, or it will
affect the skin unfavorably. If wished, talcum powder or
orris may be dusted on as soon as the liquid dries.
66 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
Another tonic believed to have virtue is made from three
ounces of rosewater, one ounce of elder-flower water, a
quarter of an ounce of tincture of benzoin and five grains
of tannic acid. This may be used frequently, and also ap-
plied to the face when the complexion is oily.
A strong French preparation will sometimes be effectual
when others fail. It is made from two drams each of isin-
glass and turpentine and four drams of oxide of zinc oint-
ment. The turpentine is warmed by setting in a pan of hot
water, but must be kept from direct contact with hot air,
or it will explode. The isinglass is put in- and the turpentine
kept warm until the former is dissolved. The zinc ointment
is then rubbed through smoothly. The paste is applied to
the palms of the hands, rubbing in two or three times a day,
and at night. When put on during the day a dusting of
orris powder is advocated, as the odor of the paste is not
pleasant.
If one's hands perspire it is a mistake to wear too tight
kid gloves, because they exclude the air, thus stimulating
perspiration. Gloves at least half a size larger than the
hand should be chosen until the pores are in normal condi-
tion.
Any agent that stimulates circulation will be beneficial,
although its effect will not be immediately noticed. For
instance, exercise, waving the hands briskly from the wrists,
not from the elbows, is one movement that is recommended ;
another is to open and close the fingers quickly and tightly.
This may be done at any time during the day. Water
warmer than tepid should not be used; the object of the
treatment being to do nothing that will open the pores and
much that will contract them to normal condition.
CHAPTER VI
NAILS
POLISHING NAIL POWDER
Oxide of tin, one-half ounce powdered carmine, one grain;
powdered orris root, one grain.
Mix by sifting three times through coarse muslin.
SUGGESTIONS ABOUT MANICURING TSTAILS AT HOME
INJUDICIOUS ways of trimming nails are partly re-
sponsible for badly shaped finger tips. Nails serve as
a brace for the flesh, and if the prop is unwisely cut
away the skin will sag. Thus the effect of cutting the nails
too far at the corners is easily understood. For the flesh
that should be upheld has nothing to cling to, and a broad,
flat tip is developed.
It is absolutely impossible to make a wide nail almond
shape, and this being the case, the sooner heroic measures
are dropped in an effort to make the change the better. It
is this unwise attempt to make narrow a surface which is
wide that is the beginning of the trouble. An inexperienced
person imagines that by cutting away the nail at the side
its aspect will be altered. This is true, but only for the
worse, a fact to be remembered each time a file or a pair of
scissors is used.
Consolation for a woman with homely finger tips lies in
the fact that much improvement is gained merely in shaping
the tops, letting the sides alone. If narrowness is achieved
it will be by making them oval on the edge. A pointed
top merely makes the rest of the nail look broader by con-
68 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
trast, whereas one slightly rounded does not call attention
to the wide surface.
It is always a mistake to clip the nails with scissors unless
the final finish is given with a file. Even then scissors should
not be used, for their effect is to thicken the nail and take
away the transparency. Once the use of a file is learned
it works quickly, and better lines are made with it.
Better not use a manicure knife unless one has had pro-
fessional training. Even so, many of the best manicures
no longer operate with one, substituting an orange-wood
stick, flat at one end. For this task a little basin of hot,
soapy water, some curved manicure scissors, a file, some
polishing powder and absorbent cotton will be needed. Twist
the merest wisp of cotton around the end of the orange-wood
stick, and run this beneath the nail edges. The cotton
wipes out dust or particles far more thoroughly than a bare
stick or piece of steel. This is a trick worth remembering,
for it keeps the skin soft beneath the nails and makes them
less likely to pick up dust. If one has been using a. sharp
instrument for cleaning, its use should be stopped. Several
days must elapse before the skin smoothes after the heroic
treatment it has had, but the result is worth the waiting.
To manicure, begin by filing the nails in any shape wished.
Do both hands and lay the file aside, though it may be needed
again for smoothing rough edges.
Then put one hand into the basin of soapy warm water
and soak it for five minutes; longer, if you wish. Then
wipe gently, by no means thoroughly, and use the orange
stick. With this push the cuticle gently toward the base
of the nail. Wet the stick end and rub it to and fro over
the nail on the line where the cuticle has been.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 69
The skin will be so soft from soaking that the friction
will take off any adhering particles. Wipe carefully this
time, and with the sharp-pointed scissors trim off project-
ing points of flesh that are too firmly fastened to come
with the stick. Take care not to cut deep or to draw blood.
Better take off too little cuticle than too much.
Go over each nail in this fashion, keeping the stick a
little moist to prevent the skin from drying. Should this
happen it will be impossible to get good results. As soon
as each nail is finished annoint it with cold cream to coun-
teract the effect of so much water, otherwise the nails be-
come too dry.
Soak the other hand as was done with the first, and work
at that. If it is the right, more time will be required, for
working with the left is awkward. Both done, cover each
nail copiously with powder and polish with a chamois burn-
isher. Then wash and scrub the hands, wiping carefully.
Inspect the finger tips closely, cutting or rubbing off with
the stick any points of skin ; then polish with dry chamois,
and the hands should look infinitely better. Polishing must
be done every day, but once a week is often enough for
filing and soaking.
GREASE BEAUTIFIES TEXTURE OF NAILS
USE grease to make the nails shapely. Use grease all
the time ; cleanse finger tips with it instead of soap.
It tends to give them a satinlike appearance with a
tinge of pink, which is the desirable condition for finger
nails.
When the surface shows ridges, and there is a general look
*>
70 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
of coarseness, I would advise soaking the finger tips for five
minutes every night in warm sweet almond oil. The same
bath may be used over and over again. The temperature
of it should be only tepid. This warmth will cause the fluid
to soak in more thoroughly.
I like vaseline better than cold cream wThen the nail struc-
ture really requires nourishment. So when one has treated
her fingers to the almond oil bath she should pat them
gently with a piece of old muslin and proceed to fill the
cracks at the base of the nails and around the cuticle with
vaseline. Then, with a piece of chamois, she should rub
each separately to drive in the grease. Much will be taken
up in this fashion, so that another application of vaseline
should be made. But before this second dose an orange
stick should be applied to the cuticle. With the flat end
of this stick the flesh at the bottom of each nail must be
pushed back gently, increasing the effect by putting the
thumb of the other hand on the flesh below the nail and
drawing it down gently. Should there be ragged pieces of
skin about the nail they may be cut with manicure scissors,
but no attempt must be made to cut strips of the cuticle.
After the second bath of vaseline old gloves must be put
on, for the warmth of the kid will drive in the grease. This
part of the treatment is to be continued for a week at least.
In the morning, when the gloves are drawn off, a chamois
burnisher containing no grease or powder should be rubbed
briskly over each nail. Powder may be used only once a
week, for while effort is being made to supply the nourish-
ment frequent applications of powder that is drying in effect
would defeat the purpose of the cure.
The greatest care should be taken to use only such soap
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 71
as does not dry the skin, and after each washing a little
grease must be rubbed over the base of the nails, wiping, but
not washing, it off afterward, so there will be no greasy-
aspect to the fingers. The burnisher, if used often, will soon
bring a polish to the surface. It also helps to smooth the
nails. Once a week they may be rubbed with powdered
chamois, but before this is done the burnisher must be wet,
so the moisture will prevent the powder from scratching the
surface. Pumice does not polish it — just smooths.
If white spots appear on the nails they may be rubbed at
night with an equal mixture of turpentine and myrrh, olive
oil being required the next morning to remove it. Several
applications usually cause the spots to disappear.
HOW TO CARE FOR NAILS IN WINTER
IN cold weather oily lotions must be rubbed on the nails
often, and a cream excellent to use in this way is made
from a quarter of an ounce of sweet almond oil, six-
teen grains of table salt, sixteen and a half grains each of
powdered resin and alum (powdered), forty grains of white
wax, and a grain of carmine. The wax and resin should
be put into a china cup and set into hot water to melt, but
not get hot. As it softens add the oil, salt and alum. The
carmine is put in last. Then the latter is removed from
the bath and beaten to a smooth cream. It is then rubbed on
the nails through the day, leaving it on when convenient.
Polishing powders should be little used, as their effect is
excessively drying. A tinted cream that will give a slight
shine is made from half a dram of powdered carmine, a
dram of fresh lard, twelve drops of oil of bergamot and six
drops of essence of Cyprus. The latter may be omitted.
72 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
This is mixed as the foregoing, softening the lard, but
not allowing it to become liquid. To use, apply with a bit
of absorbent cotton, letting the paste remain on for a few
moments. It is then carefully wiped off and the burnisher
used.
Under no circumstances should one go out of doors in
cold weather without gloves. Frosty air will be a positive
cause of finger nails breaking or cracking, and will also
produce unsightly ridges, which are merely an overdry con-
dition.
A sharp instrument must not be used for removing soil
beneath the edge of the nails. A stick of any kind is best,
and though those made especially for nails are to be bought
at almost any shop, others which are home made will answer
every purpose. A butcher's skewer may be whittled down,
not to a sharp point, but to one having a little width. When
the nails are soiled the stick may be dipped into lemon juice
or rubbed into the soap, together with a little water, forming
a paste. This, applied to the soil, will make it disappear,
and the under part of the nail will not be roughened by the
treatment.
TO STRENGTHEN NAILS THAT BREAK
WHEN the nails break constantly they should be soaked
every night in slightly warm sweet almond oil.
The liquid may be put into a cup at a depth just
sufficient to cover the finger tips. The same oil may be used
several times. The soaking must be for ten minutes at least.
Then the fingers must be wiped, but not washed.
Also, they must be generously smeared with cold cream
each time before washing. It might be thought that warm
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 73
water would neutralize the action of the grease, but it does
not, and the nails are cleaned without becoming overdry in
the process.
In extreme cases it is well to tie the finger tips in oil for
the night. For this small pieces of absorbent cotton may be
wet with it and bound on with narrow bits of muslin. This
will not soil the bedding, and after a week's application the
nails will surely be in better condition.
Wearing old gloves when doing even the simplest kinds
of housework is one of the best precautions against drying
the skin. They will keep out dirt and do wonders toward
rendering the skin and cuticle soft and white. If it is neces-
sary to plunge the fingers into strong soap water, plenty of
the grease must be rubbed on afterward and a thorough
washing given with a bland soap. This treatment will en-
tirely prevent any harm from coarse soap.
After washing and wiping, the hands should be rubbed
with a mixture of glycerine and rosewater in proportion of
one-third of the former to two-thirds of the latter. Plain
water may be substituted for rose, and five drops of car-
bolic acid to two gills of the mixture will add to its merits.
It should be wiped off after using.
CURES FOR HABIT OF BITING NAILS
A WOMAN who bites her nails should go to a phy-
sician for treatment, because this habit is almost
always the result of an unhealthy physical condi-
tion that needs special care.
To say "don't," and that one should not disfigure the
finger tips is but a waste of breath. No person who does
it is aware of the moments they are biting until a pain in-
74 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
flicted by the teeth makes itself felt. By that time the dam-
age is done.
Both grown persons and children are sometimes aided in
breaking this habit by dipping the finger tips into aloes. For
these are, of all bitter tasting decoctions, about the worst,
and usually a child who has had it on the lips once or twice
remembers not to repeat the dose. Oddly enough, a grown
person offends longer than a little one.
If the nails have been subjected to injury from the teeth
the finger tips should be bandaged at night, each one done
separately, the cloths being firmly tied on. Before using
the bandages, and after washing and drying the fingers care-
fully, they should be rubbed with vaseline. Then strips of
linen two inches wide must be put on.
To make this aid the nail to grow into shape the ban-
dage should begin on the under part of the tip. It must
be held so firmly that the cloth can be drawn over to hold
up that side of the cuticle. The bandage should be knotted
at once, and another put over, beginning underneath and
drawing it over to hold the other side. This takes several
minutes, but if continued for some time nightly it assists
in restoring the lost shape of the tips.
Every morning an orange stick should be employed to
push down cuticle that is growing too high over the nail.
This task will not be difficult, as the skin is so soft from
the grease bath that stray pieces and points can be pushed
back in an endeavor to make a proper shape to the cuticle
at the bottom and sides. The instant the nails grow enough
to permit of the use of a file it should be rubbed over the
top, and for a time the nails must be kept short to improve
the quality.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 75
Scissors should not be used for shortening them, for clip-
ping coarsens the texture, while filing makes it finer and
smoother.
Whether or not one likes the nails polished, a burnisher
should be rubbed over the nails several times a day, for fric-
tion with chamois is a part of the treatment that smooths
the surface and aids in giving a desirable transparent look.
One who is observant can tell at a glance whether finger
tips are treated in this fashion every day, even though no
powder is applied.
Ridges in the nails, which, while not disfiguring, cannot
be called pretty, are caused from insufficient nourishment
by the tissues which feed them. Constant applications of
grease improve them, and also a daily rubbing with pow-
dered pumice. Pumice must not be used oftener than once
a day.
CHAPTER VII
ARMS
CURES FOR ROUGH ELBOWS
ELBOWS that ordinarily might be pretty, almost of
necessity are hardened by net sleeves, because the
material is irritating. A girl will realize this after
she has placed her elbow on a table or at any angle where the
lace is pressed against it. For the threads are so unyielding
they redden and roughen the surface, a condition easier to
prevent than to cure, once it exists.
Rubbing the joint every night with almond oil or some
other application equally soothing, I believe most essential.
A stiff flesh brush should be employed regularly, every day
being none too often, and a bland soap, Castile for instance,
if it agrees with the skin, must be put on sufficiently to make
a thorough lather, with plenty of hot water. This done at
night, frictioning with the bristles, should be followed by
carefully drying with a soft cloth. Then, while the surface
is still warm, and the pores open, an oil should be rubbed in.
To do this a few drops may be poured into the palm of one
hand and this manipulated over the joint until as much
grease as the skin will take has been absorbed. It is well to
complete the entire operation on one arm before commencing
on the other.
When, as not infrequently happens, the surface is already
rough and coarse, a greased pad should be bound on at night.
The best way of doing this is to take a small wad of absorb-
76
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS J7
ent cotton, wet it with oil, and with muslin bandage on.
The confining strip should be at least two inches wide, or it
will cut into the arm, making the wearer uncomfortable.
Eruption that appears not infrequently upon the back of
the upper arms is disfiguring and as a rule due to lack of sur-
face circulation. Daily use of a bath brush is one of the
quickest and most logical cures. The bristles stimulate cir-
culation and at the same time prevent an accumulation of
dead skin. Sometimes ten days or two weeks of using a
brush constantly will bring the arms into a state of softness
and smoothness. Inasmuch as they are about as conspicuous
these days as is the face, it is well to have them in good con-
dition.
OILY BANDAGES IMPROVE THIN ARMS
WHEN arms can be so beautiful it seems a pity that
more girls do not possess them, for it is possible to
cultivate them without much work.
The treatment essential to the improvement of the arms is
bandaging them at night. This process takes only a few
minutes, and the results after a time will be most gratifying.
It is best done by soaking some soft old linen in either sweet
almond or olive oil. It is well to have the wrappings about
four inches wide. These are placed firmly about the arms,
but not so tight as to stop circulation. It is important to put
thin oiled silk over these wrappings to prevent grease from
rubbing off. A person who does not wish to go into this
treatment will get results by rubbing the arms with oil.
Whether they are merely massages or wrapped the pre-
liminary is the same. The skin, from wrist to shoulder,
should be mopped with warm, but not hot, water, the opera-
78 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
tion taking at least ten minutes. The object is not only to
cleanse, but to soften the skin and open the pores, so the sur-
face will be in condition to absorb the massage oil.
In applying the unguent the motion should be circular and
rather gentle. These movements must not be made until the
arm is entirely dry. If any water remains on, the grease will
not be absorbed.
Beginning at the wrist, the arm is clasped by the other
hand that has previously been covered with oil. This lotion
is then rubbed slowly round and round all the time, so every
part of the surface is massaged. It will be necessary to put
on more occasionally, there being no danger of applying too
much.
After this operation has been continued for five minutes
the skin may be wiped with a dry and soft cloth, and then
the entire surface should be patted with cold water. This
makes the skin firm and hard, closing the pores, that should
be full of oil.
If exercises are to be taken it is better that they should be
gone through with before oiling.
TO BEAUTIFY THE ARMS BY EXERCISE
FEW girls seem to realize that the condition of the arms
is an indication of the state of their general health,
and that it is impossible to possess a beautiful arm if
the health is habitually neglected and disregarded. The girl
who is careless about her feet, who allows herself to run
down and get in a poor state of health, must expect to pos-
sess thin, ill-nourished arms.
One whose circulation is poor from insufficient exercise
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 79
and sedentary habits will have red arms, while improper
feeding will have as harmful an effect upon the skin of the
arms as upon the complexion. Much can be done by judi-
cious treatment to improve arms which are naturally ungain-
ly and to give softness and roundness of outline.
The first point one must attend to is exercise. Arms, to
be at their best, require regular exercise like the rest of the
body. The simplest exercises will answer the purpose; in-
deed, violent, excessive exercise, which makes the muscles
hard and prominent, is not desirable.
Indian club exercises make the arms graceful and supple,
and develop without over-exercising the muscles. With the
arms stretched out level with the shoulders, swing the clubs
around the head in all directions. That develops the muscle
which forms the roundness of the upper arm and shoulder
and improves the chest muscles at the same time. Then,
with the elbows bent, try various exercises for the forearm
and wrist.
If you cannot get Indian clubs, invest in a pair of dum-
bells, or try the old-fashioned expander exercises learned at
school, which are excellent for developing the arms and bust.
Exercise regularly for fifteen or twenty minutes each day ; if
possible, exercise ten or fifteen minutes night and morning.
Massage is also essential in the beautifying of the arms.
The girl with thin arms will do wonders by daily exercise
and proper massage with simple olive oil or equal parts of
lanoline and lard. Massage the arms every night, taking as
much of the lanoline and lard as will lie in the palm of the
hand, and work it in while knealing and pinching the
arms to bring the blood to the surface. Then, with long
strokes up and down the arms, rub firmly from shoulder to
8o HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
elbow and elbow to wrist. Then, with thumb and forefinger,
begin at the wrist and massage corkscrew fashion up the
arm to the top.
If properly done, this should make the skin glow and
tingle, which means that there is plenty of blood at the
surface and that the cream or grease or oil used is being
absorbed through the tiny pores. Red arms will benefit
marvelously by the treatment because it improves the circu-
lation, and the redness is simply an indication that the blood
is not circulating as freely and rapidly as it should.
Thin arms will also improve, because the grease or cream
nourishes the skin and underlying tissues.
Arms that are rough and red should first be treated by
washing with plenty of good soap at bedtime and drying
briskly with a rough towel. Afterward rub in a little of a
mixture of equal parts of glycerine and rosewater. If the
arms are rough, avoid hot or cold water; use tepid water,
good soap and a soft towel.
CHAPTER VIII
COMPLEXION
ASTRINGENT TONIC SKIN LOTION
Rosewater, three ounces; elderflower water, one ounce; simple
tincture of benzoin, one=quarter ounce; tannic acid, five grains.
Mix, and wipe over the face with a soft cloth several times a
day. Discontinue using when dryness results.
ASTRINGENT TONICS THAT CONTRACT ENLARGED
PORES
MANY astringents, though not all, are slightly bleach-
ing, and probably one of the most valuable is made
from one ounce of tincture of benzoin combined
with one-half pint of pure alcohol of the best quality. Such
a lotion is wiped over the face not of tener than twice a day
and before going to bed, after the skin has been cleansed
from impurities. The benzoin should dry on. It may be
used as a substitute for water by adding a tablespoonful to
a gill of water and half of one teaspoonful of glycerine.
A soft old white muslin cloth, dipped into this, will clean
the face far better than plain water, and the skin is tonicized
at the same time.
Another and less expensive preparation, although the first
is not costly, is made from one pint of camphor water, one-
half ounce of pure glycerine and one-quarter of an ounce of
borax, powdered. This may be applied frequently, both as
a cleanser and a lotion, in the latter case the liquid drying
Si
82 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
on. Care must be taken when it is applied to remove dust
thoroughly, otherwise it will be carried into the pores.
Alcoholic toilet preparations are always astringent, but
as a rule may be used only sparingly, their action being posi-
tive. If a toilet water of any kind is wiped over the com-
plexion after cold cream, or grease in any form, has been
applied, it will be entirely cut, and prevent injurious action.
White wine vinegar does this to perfection, and is excel-
lent for the complexion. It should not be used oftener than
once a day, and may be diluted with an equal quantity of
water. It is slightly bleaching.
ASTRINGENT LOTIONS THAT REDUCE LARGE PORES
IF camphor water, an astringent, is used regularly on en-
larged pores of the nose, they will decrease in size.
This astringent is made by dissolving a quarter of an
ounce of borax and half an ounce of glycerine in a pint of
camphor water.
This liquid should be put on with a piece of soft old mus-
lin, wiping gently, to cleanse without irritating the skin.
Another wash is usually required to remove the soil, and
the second application dries on. This may or may not be
rinsed off with warm water.
If the skin on the nose shows a tendency to chap another
astringent wash may be better suited, for occasionally the
camphor-water lotion will be too drying. Incidentally, if
the preparation seems to have a drying effect, it may be
tried without the borax. Camphor water by itself is also
desirable.
A lotion that will act favorably, especially if the nose is
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 83
inclined to redness, is made from a dram of iodide of potas-
sium, half a pint of water and half an ounce of glycerine.
The iodide should be dissolved in the water before the glycer-
ine is added. It should be mopped over the nose and allowed
to dry on. It may also serve as a complexion wash, and
faithful use of it as a substitute for water will sometimes
clear the skin.
Another inexpensive lotion that is adapted for use on
the nose when the pores are large and there is inclination
to redness, is made from fifteen grains of tannic acid to five
ounces of camphor water. This is applied frequently through
the day and at night as a cleansing as well as healing appli-
cation. If after a time it causes the slightest irritation its
use should be discontinued.
If one is so unfortunate as to have a decidedly red nose,
an agent having more strength may be tried. Such a one
is made from one hundred grams of mallows water, two
and a half grams of benzoate of soda, ten grams of glycerine
and five grams of alcohol. Like the others, it is applied fre-
quently, and dries on.
FOR BLACKHEADS
To cure blackheads make an ointment of one ounce of soap
liniment and one ounce of ether; mix. At night scrub the face
thoroughly with hot water, using a complexion or other soft
brush. After wiping, apply the mixture to each of the spots and
let it remain on over night. Wash off in the morning with hot
water. Continue until the spots have disappeared. Then twice
a week wash the face with this mixture, removing the liquid at
once by rinsing with clear water. If there are large pores, wipe
over each with a little alcohol.
For pimples that frequently appear with blackheads make an
ointment of two grams of beta napthol, twenty grams of sulphur
34 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
precipitate and twenty grams of potash soap. Rub over the
pimples at night.
This may be used at the same time as the blackhead mixture.
TREATMENT FOR BLACKHEADS AND PIMPLES
PIMPLES and blackheads may be the result of so many
different causes that what will cure them for one per-
son will be useless for another, so all one can say is
that if faithful trials of external remedies do not benefit, a
physician should be consulted. Often, applications of a lo-
tion made from half an ounce of glycerine, a pint of cam-
phor water and a quarter of an ounce of powdered borax
will prevent pimples. In any event, this mixture is good
for the skin, if used as a substitute for water. It must be
allowed to dry on.
A teaspoonful of powdered alum dissolved in half a pint
of water is strongly recommended by many persons, who
use it several times a day, and before going to bed at night.
It is so astringent in action, however, that its effect must
be carefully watched, or it will be too drying.
A physician declares that a two weeks' trial is time enough
to give to either of these, and if at the end of that period
they have not improved the skin the applications should be
stopped and a remedy more drastic applied.
An excellent treatment begins by washing the face with
liquid green soap and a brush. Then an application of a
paste made from flowers of sulphur and camphor spirits.
This is smeared over the complexion, and stays on all night,
being washed off in the morning. The face is wiped over
with glycerine. The latter may be omitted, if desired, but
it is desirable.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 85
In order to improve the condition and texture of the
skin a bath should be taken every day, if one is not in the
habit already of doing it, and a brush instead of a cloth
used, because the former is more stimulating in effect. Once
a day the face must be scrubbed lightly with a complexion
brush, for it is of the utmost importance that circulation
shall be active and the pores freed from impurities. Both
of these are best accomplished with a brush.
There are "white" pimples that are unsightly, but less
common. Their treatment differs a trifle, in that soap con-
taining tar is recommended. The spots are to be opened, as
with the ordinary kind, first soaking the skin with hot wet
cloths to soften and make the secretion more easy to eject
by gentle pressing. A drop of spirits of camphor may then
be applied to contract the hole.
HOW TO LANCE AND CURE PIMPLES
TO cure facial eruptions by external treatment one must
first carefully open the pimples, for if hastily and
improperly done large pores inevitably ensue; but
this is quite unnecessary, as the operation consists of lancing
with a fine cambric needle, preferably one that is new. If
it has been used before for any purpose it should be steril-
ized, either by dropping it into boiling water, or in alcohol,
and lighting it, in order to burn impurities. The eruption
should always be soaked for at least five minutes to soften
the skin. Holding hot wet cloths against it will accomplish
the purpose. Then the spot may be opened and pressed
gently, but not hard, to extract the secretion.
Immediately afterward it may be touched with a paste
86 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
made from five-eighths of an ounce each of lanoline, almond
oil and sulphur precipitate, with three-eighths of an ounce
of oxide of zinc and half a dram of violet extract. To mix,
the sulphur and zinc are combined with the oil in a smooth
paste, the lanoline melted in a cup set into hot water, and
poured into the oil as the former softens. The extract goes
in last. This is applied at night to each pimple.
Less complicated to make is a lotion of one-half dram
each of precipitate of sulphur, tincture of camphor and
glycerine, with two ounces of rosewater. The sulphur and
glycerine are smoothly combined, before thinning slowly,
with the other liquids. This is used like the first prescrip-
tion.
A third, more like cream, may be rubbed over the face
at any time, and is useful when there is a tendency to pim-
ples, for, taken in time, they may be checked. The formula
is a gram of beta napthol and ten grams each of precipi-
tated sulphur and potash soap. Should it irritate the skin,
wiping with toilet vinegar will counteract the effect.
The paste may be used night and morning, wiping off
that which shows.
Under no circumstances should a pimple ever be opened
without putting on something afterward to contract the
hole which has been made. Pure alcohol, tincture of cam-
phor, or cologne water are suitable, each acting as an astrin-
gent. It is not necessary to apply these astringents when
the pastes or lotion given above have been put on, though
it is beneficial even then to wipe the face in the morning
with an alcoholic preparation.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 87
HOW TO STEAM THE FACE
FACE steaming is a method of treatment that may be
highly beneficial or injurious, according as it is done.
Too frequent applications of steam will cause wrin-
kles, by making the skin flabby, but an occasional bath of
this kind serves the purpose of opening the pores to remove
dust and helping to keep the skin supple and in good con-
dition.
Special arrangements for this treatment may be bought,
but they are expensive, and quite as good results may be
secured from simple contrivances if they are made to hold
the steam. A chafing dish answers the purpose admirably ;
indeed, so will any receptacle in which water may be kept
just below the boiling point. Any kind of vessel over an
alcohol lamp, or gas if the jet be low and easily reached,
can be adapted. It remains then to put over the flame a
fairly large surface pan, or basin, with enough water to
throw out a good volume of steam.
It is worth remembering, before going through this
cleansing experience, that boiling steam will burn the skin,
and so the temperature of the wrater must be a trifle lower
than the boiling point, yet sufficiently high to throw out
heat that will generate perspiration.
After everything is arranged for the bath the face should
be well rubbed with cold cream, applying it thickly with
the finger tips and rubbing vigorously in rotary motion over
the entire face, making the upward part of the stroke
stronger than the downward. This will take at least five
minutes, and longer if properly done. The bath should
88 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
then be ready, and the face bent over, holding a towel so
the steam is thrown directly on the skin. If necessary to
get fresh air to breathe, the mouth may be uncovered for
about two seconds.
After the face is hot, and perspiration starts, it should
be wiped with soft old linen to remove the grease, and then
the face should be steamed again. This wiping is repeated
until there is no trace of grease. Fifteen or twenty min-
utes should be devoted to the bath, and at the end of this
period the face must be wiped for the last time. For the
final treatment cold water may be dashed over to tighten
the skin, and if there is no eruption an excellent lotion,
made from a gill of alcohol and an ounce each of spirits of
camphor and spirits of ammonia, two and a half ounces
of sea salt, with enough boiling water to make a pint, may
be applied to the flesh. This is not used until it is cold, and
then the skin is soaked with it. It is an excellent tonic, and
may be massaged into the neck, throat and arms, as well
as the face.
Steaming by this method should not be resorted to oftener
than once a week. Carefully done, it will soften and refine
the skin and clear the complexion.
HOW TO USE A COMPLEXION BRUSH
SKIN of a coarse quality may often be improved by the
daily use of a complexion brush, if the bristles are
rubbed over the surface with a rotary motion.
When cleansing the face in this way liquid green soap
should be used occasionally, but only occasionally, for it is
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 89
extremely strong, and its effect upon the skin is drying.
Twice a week is sufficiently often.
As some sort of application to enable the brush to move
over the skin easily is essential, a mixture of half a dram
of iodide of potassium and an ounce of glycerine to half
a pint of plain water will answer the purpose. With this
the face is wet, and the brush applied. This is a cleansing
liquid, and serves as a soap substitute. Its effect upon the
skin is refining.
After brushing for three or four minutes the face must
be rinse3 in warm water and then with cold. If liked, a
few drops of tincture of benzoin, about half a teaspoonful
to a pint of water, may be used in the final rinse.
This whole procedure should be done every night.
When pimples have developed, or blackheads exist, the
care becomes more elaborate.
FRECKLE LOTION
Two drams oxide of zinc, one-quarter dram subiodide of bis=
muth, one and three=quarter drams of dextrin, one and a half
drams of glycerine.
Spread the paste upon the freckles at night, before going to
bed. In the morning remove what remains with a little powdered
borax and almond oil.
TO PREVENT FRECKLES
WHEN freckle season comes, a girl whose skin is prone
to blemish from light or dark brown spots, may
save herself by adopting a method of prevention.
It is a fact that in extreme delicacy of skin scarcely anything
90 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
will entirely keep away sun stains, but thick veils and special
cleansing are worth trying.
In my opinion, no girl whose complexion is fair should
go out of doors in the summer without preparing herself
to withstand the sun's rays. If cold cream agrees with her
flesh the proposition becomes simple, for she has then only
to anoint her face, dust on plenty of powder, and tie on a
chiffon veil loosely.
When time to remove the mask, the face must be thor-
oughly washed with a saturated solution of borax. This
cuts the grease. It in turn is washed off with clear warm
water, which removes the last vestige of cream. A final
wiping with an astringent lotion should follow.
A make-up such as this requires little time, and the knack
lies entirely in getting it on evenly. It may be done in the
morning before taking a journey to town, and will last all
day with an occasional slight application of new powder.
Unless allowed to stay indefinitely on the skin, there is no
danger of its causing injury, but it must never be forgotten
that this treatment clogs the pores and that they must be
freed after a time to "breathe" properly. Otherwise, en-
larged pores are inevitable.
The fact that freckles only appear on delicate skins makes
the problem of their removal more difficult, because any-
thing that tends to bleach makes the surface more sus-
ceptible. That is one reason why protection becomes such
a necessary part of the treatment, for without it the second
condition will be worse than the first.
Constant use of buttermilk as a wash is recommended
for freckles. It is softening and bleaching. Fresh horse-
radish, grated, adds potency to the application. A table-
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 91
spoonful of the root is put into half a pint of the milk, the
two covered, to stand for twelve hours. After that it is
strained, and applied as a bleach, to dry on.
WHITENERS THAT REMOVE FRECKLES
FRECKLES, as a rule, can be eradicated, but I do not
encourage drastic treatment, for the reason that it
makes the skin more sensitive to the trouble which
one tries to remove. For the little spots caused by sun and
wind are under the skin, not on top, and in order to bleach
these blemishes something sufficiently strong to go below
the surface is needed. This obviously renders the top layer
more tender and delicate than usual, and freckles, therefore,
reappear more quickly than before the treatment.
When the blemishes do not yield to simple bleaches I
think none others should be tried. For by protecting the
complexion with veils and parasols the spots will fade out
slowly. There are, of course, so-called "obstinate" freckles,
decidedly worthy of their name. For only by the very
strongest applications can they be removed, and, as a rule,
they return.
A simple bleach efficacious in some instances is made
from two ounces of lactic acid, one ounce of glycerine and
half an ounce of rosewater. This is applied morning and
night, and several times through the day, and is allowed
to dry on. Should it seem to irritate the skin, an effect an
acid may have, then it must be diluted by adding more
glycerine, or applying cold cream afterward.
An astringent lotion that sometimes fades freckles is made
from fifty grams of rosewater, two and a half grams of
92 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
powdered borax, five grams of spirits of camphor and two
and a half grams of tincture of benzoin. It is used as the
first, and is an excellent complexion wash even when freckles
are not present.
An old English cure is to make a paste from a teaspoonful
of dry mustard, a tablespoonful of flour, and enough water
to make them smooth. This is spread over the skin and
allowed to remain until the surface burns. The paste is
then washed of! and the skin smeared with cold cream.
This might be tried on the hands or arms, but it seems
drastic.
EXCESSIVE DRINKING OF COFFEE OFTEN CAUSES
ERUPTIONS
EXCESSIVE use of coffee so affects the nerves and di-
gestion that eruptions on the skin are often
caused. But despite these blemishes I fear I cannot
persuade many girls to forego this beverage, but I wish that
they would be content with one large cup in the morning and
none through the day. It always makes me sorry when I
notice the number of bright, keen-looking girls downtown
who, when luncheon time comes, order things to eat which
are not sufficiently nourishing and screw their nervous force
with a cup of strong coffee. It cannot fail to affect com-
plexion and eyes, as well as nerves.
The only way to retain freshness and strength, especially
when it is being taxed by daily work, is by careful nourish-
ment and rest, when the latter is to be had. The girl whose
hair is not touched with gray when she is thirty years of age
is she who has taken care of herself, not burned the candle
at both ends.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 93
Girls should substitute milk or food for the many cups of
coffee in which they indulge. They will find, should they
experiment, that fatigue, which they frequently have taken
coffee to allay, will disappear as surely, and without nervous
exhaustion later, if they take a little nourishment. If milk
does not agree with one, she might try one of the malted
varieties. These can be made with water. Hot milk is
sometimes digested by persons who could not drink that
which is cold.
Tea is less likely to be an over powerful stimulant than
coffee through the day, but with both, and especially tea, a
little solid food should be taken. One cracker will serve the
purpose, which is to absorb the tannin, protecting the stom-
ach lining from its effects.
WATER DRINKING BEAUTIFIES COMPLEXION
TO say that drinking at least three pints of water a day
would make a girl beautiful would be grossest ex-
aggeration, but it is perfectly true that such an
amount of liquid, taken judiciously every day, will be a won-
derful aid in acquiring or increasing good looks, and it is
such a cheap way of improving one's appearance that to
ignore it is a pity.
Water, properly taken, flushes the system as a pipe is
cleansed by pouring down it a large quantity of pure clean-
ing liquid. And, as with the pipe, impurities are carried out,
leaving only that which is beneficial.
In order that this good effect shall be gained two facts are
important. One is that the liquid shall not be taken with
meals and the other that it shall not be of icy temperature.
94 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
In the former case it dilutes the gastric juices, sometimes
Causing indigestion, and certainly neutralizing some of the
liourishing properties of food ; in the latter it stops digestion,
and may be the cause of severe pain.
Many dietitians now agree that water should not be taken
with meals, and that many cases of indigestion may be
traced directly to the fact that this theory is unheeded. To
derive benefit a glassful should be taken at a time, sipping it
slowly, not gulping in large quantities. Ten minutes for
each glass is none too long. The temperature may be cool,
but not sufficiently so to chill the stomach.
The first drink is not to be taken later than half an hour
before a meal, and water is not to be put into the stomach
sooner than half an hour after a meal.
The matter of not taking water with food is one that con-
tains more reason than may appear at first. Many persons
do not masticate their meals properly, but wash it down in
pieces that test the strength of the digestive organs to as-
simulate. In other words, the stomach is made to do the
work of the teeth. When unable to do so acute indigestion
follows, and in any event the unnecessary labor strains the
organ.
If liquid is avoided when eating extreme mastication be-
comes necessary or food will choke the person. Failing arti-
ficial means to send it into the stomach, it must go, if at all,
in such condition that the digestive organs have none but
their own work to do and are therefore more likely to be
kept strong and healthy.
The exclamation I have heard some business girls make,
that they get no opportunity to drink water through the dav.
is a mistake. It is always possible to place a glass on a desk
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 95
where it can be easily reached. A stenographer I know
keeps a glass on her desk all day, refilling as soon as she
drinks all the water. Another girl, behind the counter, keeps
her glass of water out of sight, but within reach. Both of
these girls have clear complexions that are the envy of many
of their friends, and neither has enough out of door exercise
to be responsible for it. The truth lies in the fact that their
systems are kept in healthy condition by the constant wash-
ing away of impurities.
PHYSICAL EXERCISES THAT CLEAR COMPLEXION
GIRLS will benefit complexions and figures if they will
go through some physical exercises every morning.
These need not last for more than five minutes if
done regularly.
To begin with, they must be taken before dressing, when
no tight bands are placed around the body. An excellent
garment to wear when going through these movements is
a light flannel dressing sacque that will give warmth without
impeding the freedom of movement. I mention this article
of wearing apparel because the exercises must be taken
before an open window to clear the complexion, and if one
is not properly clad, the flesh might become chilled. Felt
or woollen slippers must also be worn.
When thus clad, a person must throw back her shoulders,
raise her head, expand her chest and draw a long breath,
with the lips tightly closed. Exhaling is done through the
mouth. Begin the exercise by drawing three long breaths,
one after the other, to expand the lungs.
Some small object in the hands makes the "setting up"
96 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
exercises easier, but they are not necessary. Should nothing
be held, the hands are to be tightly closed.
One point to be remembered through the movements is to
throw the hands out from the shoulders and not from the
elbows. There will be no benefit in the latter case, while, if
the former is done, the chest is broadened and the waist is
made slender.
Standing erect then, with the lungs expanded and the
chest raised, the abdomen being drawn in, clenched hands
are laid on the shoulders. First one and then the other fist
is thrown out hard as far as it may be sent, first at the sides
and then in front. This should be done five times, both
ways, ending by exercising both hands at the same time.
Next the hands are to be thrust high above the head at
arm's length and exercised. First the right should be used
and then the left. Finally both moved together.
The waist is more directly affected by motions that bend
the body at the hips. Every one knows that to be able to
touch the floor with the finger tips without bending the
knees denotes, unfailingly, a slim figure, but also the exer-
cise, if practised, will make for slimness, even when the floor
cannot be touched the first time, nor, indeed, during the first
month. Answering the same purpose is another motion that
consists in bending from the waist line sidewise, twisting
way over so that cords and muscles on the opposite side
begin to pull. This must be done an equal number of times
on both sides to make even development.
In all, not more than five minutes need be consumed in
doing the work suggested, and at the close circulation will
be rapid and there should be a general sense of glow.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 97
DIET OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IMPROVES
THE SKIN
IN the spring season the physical condition and complex-
ion are improved by adding new food elements to the
diet. For example, with the beginning of spring the
system often craves acids, and human beings need "new"
food qualities, quite as cattle require fresh grass.
Not a meal except breakfast should be served fast, with-
out at least one new vegetable. Spinnach is invaluable, and
every day is none too often to have it. The green contains
natural elements most wholesome to the system, and the
craving for acid may be satisfied by pouring a little vinegar
on the vegetable. Beets, either hot or cold, with cinegar, are
also good, both being especially suited to persons having
kidney trouble. Canned beets do not take the place of fresh
ones at this season.
New carrots are another vegetable that may be appetizing ;
dandelions are not expensive. All kinds of "boiled" greens
are excellent, for they act directly upon the system and
blood.
Green salads, in my opinion, are excellent, and if a sweet
cannot be afforded at the same meal, salad should have the
preference. Lettuce is always in market and the list of
growing green foods is not small. Persons who do not like
olive oil may eat the greens with sugar and vinegar, but it
would be well to cultivate a liking for oil. It is wholesome
and nourishing and forms an excellent combination as a
dressing, the proportion being one-third vinegar to two-
thirds oil. Less oil and more of the acid may be used if
98 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
wished. A bit of raw onion tossed through the salad while
mixing greatly improves the flavor.
BRISK WALK IN RAIN CLEARS THE SKIN
WALKING in the rain, for persons who are not sus-
ceptible to cold, is an excellent tonic for the com-
plexion, but one that must be prepared for in order
to get the most benefit.
For instance, when taking such a tramp the clothing must
be warm, the skirts of a length not to drag wetness about the
ankles, for nothing will give cold more quickly than the con-
stant slopping of wet garments about the feet.
The ideal walking costume for wet weather consists of a
thick and warm, but not heavy, short skirt. The length need
not be so abbreviated as to be conspicuous in city streets,
and a blouse of thin French flannel and a short jacket are
best for the upper portion of the body. A jacket is far
better for walking than a long coat, as the latter is apt to
drag or pull when the wearer is exercising, and a short
garment gives freedom of movement.
A soft felt hat of a color to match the suit should be
trimmed with one or more wings and a band of soft silk.
Water, unless floods descend, will not hurt it, and thus the
carrying of an umbrella is obviated.
No boots are as serviceable as those that are a trifle
higher than regulation. These walking boots come about
half way to the knee, are thick soled, lace, and will protect
ankles and calves from dampness. It is an unfortunate fact
that any skirt longer than knee length becomes damp about
the bottom, as it is rubbed by the heels during walking.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 99
Bloomers of silk are to be preferred to petticoats for this
particular costume.
Clad ii such fashion the risk of dampness or chill pene-
trating td the skin is almost impossible. One may be in a
drenching rain and come forth unscathed, for should the
jacket be wet through the shoulders the latter are still pro-
tected by the flannel blouse.
But to derive benefit it is essential that the exercise shall
be rapid. Just ten minutes' brisk walking in a steady down-
pour will make the blood circulate with vigor and put the
pedestrian into a delightful glow. However, it is absolutely
imperative to keep moving rapidly as long as one is out of
doors, and the length of time one walks in the rain must be
regulated by individual strength, as well as by inclination.
One who has not been accustomed to walking is apt to be
tired in fifteen minutes, and care should be taken not to get
so far away from home as to delay in returning. To become
overtired is too often the means of contracting cold, nor
must it be thought that to go home in motor or trolley will
be healthful. Constant motion of the muscles is the only
thing that will prevent cold.
On going into the house damp garments must be removed
immediately, and if there is the least suspicion of moisture
on the feet stockings as well as shoes should be changed.
Different petticoats and, of course, another dress must be
donned.
I wish girls who have not tried this rainy-day treatment
would give it a fair test, for I am sure they would enjoy it
and would be benefited, if only they would take the precau-
tion not to contract cold.
CHAPTER IX
WRINKLES
SUMMER PREVENTIVES OF LINED SKIN
IN my opinion it is not possible for a woman who wishes
to preserve smoothness of complexion to go much into
the glare of light at the seashore unless she is willing
to wear dark glasses or a dark, thick veil. A parasol is not
protection sufficient, for, while it softens the strong light in
the immediate circle, it does not affect that beyond the shade,
and every time one looks any distance the eyes, in protection,
shut a little, or "squint," and crow's feet are evident years
before they should appear.
Colored glasses are unsightly; there is no question as to
that, but they disfigure for less time than do those age sug*
gestive lines.
I also believe that never should a morning be spent on
the beach, whether or not a swim is to be part of the amuse-
ment, without plastering the face with cold cream and pow-
der. An absolute paste may be put on in this manner and
not show, or if it does, it will look merely like an unusual
amount of powder, if done with care.
With this treatment there must be a foundation of cold
cream rubbed in with the finger tips. Over this must be
powder dusted on with a puff. Then it is necessary to take
a soft cloth or old handkerchief and lightly rub in the cos-
metic. At the end of a few minutes, if there are places
where the grease shows, a fresh supply of powder, followed
:o6
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 101
by another light rubbing, must be administered. This is
repeated, adding grease or powder, as the places need, until
a smooth finish has been made. This will withstand the
most direct onslaught of sun or wind.
If it is removed in several hours I think there is no likeli-
hood of the skin having an overdose of cream. Instead of
taking water to remove this make-up I like either saturated
solution of borax, a toilet water, such as lavender, or clear
alcohol, if the latter be high proof. Any one of these three
cuts the grease and is less likely to make the skin flabby than
water, which must be very hot to have any effect.
Before going to bed the corners of the eyes should be
massaged to help keep away crow's feet. For this the fore-
finger should be dipped into cream and rubbed in rotary
motion about the eye corners, making the upward stroke
harder than the downward. A little prevention such as this
obviates a later cure.
TREATMENT TO KEEP SKIN UNWRINKLED IN SPRING
WINDS
ONE preventive of wrinkles in the springtime is the use
of almond milk, the oldest and simplest cosmetic
employed by our grandmothers, and there is no
doubt but that, used habitually, its effect is softening and
refining. The addition of a little alum when there is a
tendency to wrinkles improves it, and the combination con-
sists of thirty grains of alum, three-quarters of an ounce of
almond milk and three ounces of rosewater.
Almond milk is made by blanching and pounding twenty
good sized Jordan almonds in a mortar with half a teaspoon-
102 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
ful of granulated sugar and a quarter of a pint of water.
The nuts are reduced to powder in this form, and after
standing all night the liquid is strained. Either clear or
combined with alum it is excellent for the skin, to be gently
rubbed in several times a day and at night.
Cucumber milk is another liquid especially adapted to the
skin at this season of the year, when care must be taken not
to make it greasy. The vegetable juice is obtained by wash-
ing and drying a cucumber, then cutting it into small bits,
skin and all. It is put in a little saucepan with a teaspoonful
of water and slowly heated until it simmers for five minutes,
when it is drawn back to cool. The strained liquid is then
ready for use. Expressed juice is merely the addition of an
equal amount of alcohol.
To make the lotion one requires two ounces of oil of sweet
almonds, five ounces of cucumber juice, one and one-half
ounces of cucumber essence, an eighth of an ounce of pow-
dered castile soap and a third of a dram of tincture of ben-
zoin. To mix, the essence and soap are put into a glass
preserving jar, covered tightly and shaken at intervals, until
the soap is dissolved. The cucumber juice is then added
and the mixture again shaken.
The oil and tincture are turned together into a china
basin, and the two mixtures are slowly combined, stirring all
the time with a silver fork. The liquid will be milky in
aspect when the work has been properly done. The clear
cucumber juice is a bleach and astringent, but it is drying, if
used frequently.
More simple to mix is another lotion adapted to the skim
It is made from half an ounce of tincture of benzoin, a dram
of tincture of musk, two and one-half ounces of rectified
Photo by Joel Feder, New York.
ERADICATING WRINKLES BY USING ADHESIVE PLASTER.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 103
spirits and four gills of rose or orange flower water. The
spirits are put with the tinctures before the whole are com-
bined with the perfumed water. This, like the two other
lotions, may be left to dry on the skin, and may serve as a
substitute for water when a cleansing agent is needed.
Almonds appear in a different lotion, made from two gills
of orange flower water, four ounces of high proof alcohol,
two and one-half ounces of glycerine, two ounces of pow-
dered almonds and one-quarter of an ounce of salicylic acid.
The orange flower water must be poured over the nuts,
corked and allowed to stand all night. In the morning the
alcohol, in which the acid has been dissolved, should be
added to the glycerine, and the whole combined, the last
mixing being done slowly, under constant agitation.
Daily use of these lotions will do much to prevent wrin-
kles and other blemishes.
CARE OF EYES WILL KEEP AWAY WRINKLES
OF all "fatal-to-beauty" habits I should say the one of
totally disregarding the way of using the eyes is
among the worst. Certainly none exceeds it for a
detrimental effect, because carelessness of conditions will
cause crows' feet just as quickly as will squinting. For
instance, unless the light is so placed that the object is easily
seen a woman unconsciously twists those facial muscles
about the eyes, and then the trouble is begun.
Another injurious act is to face the light so it strikes
directly upon the eyes, while the object looked at is in
shadow. It is a common sight to see a woman sitting on the
deck of a ferryboat or on a train reading a newspaper or a
104 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
book with the light in her face, while the print she gazes on
is in the shade. As a combination calculated to work trouble
his one cannot be excelled.
From time immemorial we have been told that to read on
the train is bad for the eyes and accept the fact but continue
the practice. The pity of this, however, is not only that the
sight itself is thus strained, but that the facial muscles are
made tense in an effort to follow the printed words, and are
constantly shifting with the movement of the train, so the
result is crows' feet and lines so deep they become wrinkles.
I do wish that women who need glasses when reading or
working would wear them. Perhaps a pince-nez is not be-
coming, but neither are the involuntary facial contortions
made in an effort to see clearly. When the prejudice is
strong against the use of glasses a woman may comfort her-
self by remembering that if they are required merely for
reading or working she need wear them only when it is nec-
essary to concentrate her sight. On the other hand, if
glasses are needed and are not worn, the resulting lines
about the eyes will be in evidence at all times, and will surely
increase in depth as age advances.
"Let me look at a woman's eyes and I will tell you how
old she is," a clever man said recently.
And, sad to relate, the theory of this remark is sound, for
it is about the eyes that age first begins to show. For this
reason, if for no other, special care of the optics should be
taken, and while benefit may not be noticed from day to day,
the freshness of the eyes after one reaches middle age will
more than repay for the trouble necessary to protect the
sight.
To rest the eyes by closing the lids, even while it is not
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 105
possible to lie down, is an excellent preservative, and this
may be done for a couple of minutes at any time in a street
car or on a train and when at home. This help to the eyes
must include relaxation of the muscles about the optics when
one closes the lids. That this does not always happen a
woman has only to observe to realize, for the average person
is apt to find herself with eyes tightly shut, which means
that all the nerves and muscles of the face near the eyes are
tense. There is thus no "rest" in this condition and abso-
lutely no benefit. For only when the lids go together gently
are the muscles not strained.
When tired after work it is most refreshing to bathe the
eyes for five minutes in hot water, using a cloth soaking wet
with each application, so that the muscles are well relaxed.
Then another cloth should be wet with cold water and this
placed over the eyes when one lies down. If the rest can be
for more than five minutes the cloth should be wet again.
The cold compress serves both as a skin astringent and as an
eye tonic.
Always before going to bed at night the eyes should be
thoroughly washed to remove any dust as well as to relax
the muscles. A few drops of camphor water or a little weak
solution of boracic water is an excellent eye tonic, but
neither should be used without first applying a cleansing
wash.
TO PREVENT WRINKLES CAUSED BY HEADACHES
A WOMAN who suffers from headaches and as a result
has a lined face, may better the condition by treat-
ing her skin as does a matron whom I know, who
for years has applied cold cream to her complexion at the
106 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
first indication of a pain in the head. The application is not
to relieve the pain, but to prevent the skin from feeling the
strain, and with her it has succeeded admirably.
Every woman knows that at the approach of a headache
she involuntarily raises her brows or draws them together,
the result in either case being lines. Also, her eyes being
affected by pain, they close, either entirely or partly so, and
the muscles about the corners become tense. That means
the short cut to crows' feet, and in a year the face is unwar-
rantably old.
The cold cream method is certainly worth trying. It con-
sists in using a basin of hot water — and it is better that the
liquid should be in a vessel that can be kept over heat — and
two pieces of soft white flannel. This arrangement should
be on a stand by the couch or bed.
Then the face about the forehead and the corners of the
eyes is first rubbed thickly with cold cream, massaging it
into the pores with the finger tips. The hot water will tend
to remove it, of course, and so it becomes necessary that the
grease shall be driven deep into the pores. Once this is
done, one cloth is wrung from water that should be as hot
as the skin can endure. This compress is folded and quickly
laid over the upper part of the face and covered with a soft
towel to help hold in the heat. If this is done for a time,
renewing the cloth or putting on another as the first becomes
cool, the heat may reduce the pain. In any event the skin
receives a gentle steaming that prevents it from becoming
drawn. It is not necessary to continue the application in-
definitely. After fifteen or twenty minutes the treatment
may be stopped, not to be renewed for a couple of hours.
The entire object is prevention of muscular tenseness.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 107
If the pain passes away during the day the face should be
well soaked for some minutes in cold water, to act as an
astringent after the softening process.
TO PREVENT COLD WEATHER CAUSING WRINKLES
GOLD weather will make wrinkles, simply because it
dries the natural oil necessary for feeding the tissues,
so the problem that confronts a woman who would
keep her skin in fine condition is how to supply the deficiency
without over-nourishing the pores. For this massage, of
course, is excellent, and in many cases will be sufficient
to preserve the normal state. Gentle manipulation will
strengthen the tissues and stimulate circulation, causing the
skin to be self-feeding, as it were. But should the dryness
be excessive, more treatment is necessary, and the difficulty
lies in deciding precisely what this shall be.
As to the wrinkle treatment, every morning the face
should be inspected carefully in a mirror on which is a
strong light. Whether the skin is in a healthy or dull state
is easily told by taking a fold between the thumb and fore-
finger. If it is elastic and firm, as it should be, the skin will
resume a smooth surface as soon as it is released. Should it
be out of condition it will be several seconds becoming flat
again.
When this happens massage with a tissue builder is im-
perative. Any cold cream or lotion that one prefers con-
taining oil must be applied.
Gelatine has certain softening virtues. If used in combi-
nation with other material, although alone it will be useless.
A woman who has any prejudice against cold cream may
log HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
make for herself a paste by dissolving an eighth of an ounce
of best Russian isinglass in an ounce of rosewater. It is an
advantage to have this in a glass, covered. It must be kept
in a warm place. Several hours will be required for dissolv-
ing. When the gelatine has been absorbed by the rose water
the liquid should be strained through muslin, and then a
dram or two of glycerine added, two drops of tincture of
benzoin and a few drops of attar of rose. This should be
poured into a little glass box that can be covered. After
twenty-four hours the liquid should be a jelly.
Another preparation is an ounce of benzonated oxide of
zinc ointment, with two drams of strong spirits of camphor.
The two should be gradually mingled.
The way of applying either is the same. Morning and
night the face must be thoroughly washed with warm water
and gently dried. The finger tips are then moistened with
the unguent and applied first to the middle of the cheeks,
With a rotary motion that gradually increases in area, the
skin is rubbed gently, always making the upward part of the
stroke stronger than the downward, that the muscles shall
not sag.
More cream is used in the rotary motion that goes over
the temples, and the strokes on the forehead depend upon its
condition. If there are lines from raising the brows, the
massage should be from the edge of the hair down, drawing
off to the temples. Each should smooth the surface. If
there are frowns, the rubbing is straight from the nose to
each temple.
Before going out of doors a light application of the cream
should be put on the face. A soft cloth will remove any
superfluous quantity, after which powder may be applied.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 109
SPRING WAT DOES NOT DRY SKIN NOR CAUSE
WRINKLES
IF a girl is in the habit of spending Sundays out of town
in warm weather, or if she lives in a place where the
water used for toilet purposes is hard, I know of no
better investment of a little money than to buy a bottle of
spring water. This, if reserved for washing the face, will
keep the skin fine and soft, and so little need be used at a
time that the expense is extremely slight.
This was the means thought of years ago by a woman
who values her complexion, and so successful has it been
that, though middle aged, she still has the freshness of
youth. The skin, not having been dried, is not wrinkled,
and gentle massage every day is all the aid needed.
The veriest tyro knows that hard water is drying, and
therefore injurious; it is also a well known fact that it may
be softened by the use of various agents. Borax or am-
monia is most common, but they have one great disadvan-
tage— if too much is employed they increase the injurious
effect. According as the grade of water varies, so must the
quantity of the softener, and to lay down a hard and fast
rule is impossible. It is only by long experimenting that the
correct proportions are found. To achieve this in a couple
of days' visit is out of the question, and with mistakes the
complexion necessarily suffers.
The woman mentioned above who solved the difficulty
buys a well known spring water. She pays twenty-five cents
a quart. This lasts for two weeks. She uses it daily, wet-
ting a soft face cloth and mopping her complexion in the
morning, treating her eyes to the same bath. Her neck and
no HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
ears also are washed with the soft water. During warm
weather, when her skin is inclined to be greasy, she wipes
over the face once or twice during the day with a saturated
solution of borax, but at night there is another bath with
spring water. For traveling purposes she has a bottle hold-
ing about half a pint, and this she finds enough to last for a
week-end trip.
An occasional wiping with a solution of camphor water
and tannic acid is undoubtedly beneficial in preserving clear-
ness, and if used twice daily, alternating with the borax
solution, improves the complexion. The lotion is made from
fifteen grains of tannic acid to five ounces of camphor water.
It is applied with a soft cloth, after cleansing with water,
and dries in. It is astringent, and therefore particularly
suited to warm weather.
A slight massage with the rotary motion should be given
the face at least once a day, preferably twice. The work con-
sists merely in rubbing in a circle with the finger tips, over
the cheeks, temples and forehead sufficiently to stimulate
circulation. This serves to keep the tissues in healthy con-
dition and will freshen the color.
REST, NOT COSMETICS, PREVENTS WRINKLES
ALL cosmetics and toilet applications will be useless to
a woman if she does not take care of her skin and
health. For without a certain amount of attention
to conserving energy she will be wrinkled and lined and her
hair will be prematurely gray.
Shutting one's eyes is a wonderful assistance to exhausted
nerves. To do this at home, when conditions are not such
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS in
as to permit lying down, is far better than having the lids
wide apart and unconsciously looking at some object.
The strain of a busy day downtown will be tremendously
relieved if a girl will take five minutes of her lunch hour and
in a dressing-room, or other comparatively quiet place, close
her eyes. She must not make the mistake, however, of
spending the whole of this five minutes looking at her watch
to see if time is up, for in that way she will get nothing but
fatigue from the effort.
Another way of resting is to relax the muscles when sit-
ting. A girl who notices will be apt to find that frequently
her muscles are tense, as though she were holding the chair,
instead of sitting on it.
Some warm drink or easily digested food taken into the
stomach will rest a person, nervously and physically. So
will a cup of warm milk or one of cocoa. The latter is easily
digested, and is not to be confounded with chocolate, which
is rich. A cup of hot water is better than nothing, for it
brings blood from the brain and is slightly stimulating.
When a positive stimulant is required a cup of hot tea is to
be preferred to any alcoholic form of liquid, for the latter
has a bad effect upon the nervous system.
When a girl can take better care of herself than is pos-
sible under working conditions she will find one of the best
processes of refreshing herself when tired is to wring out
hot cloths and lay them over her eyes and forehead. A hot
water bag does not act as a substitute for this and the treat-
ment is a little trouble. The simplest way is to have two
cloths and a basin of hot water by the couch. One cloth is in
the water ready to wring out and replace the one on the
head that becomes cool. Fifteen minutes is enough, and the
ii2 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
improvement in the physical condition is marked. It is a
wise plan to rinse the face in very cold water immediately
afterward in order to prevent the skin from becoming flabby.
BEAUTY TREATMENT TO KEEP SKIN FRESH
WHERE is there a woman past thirty-five years of age
who does not wish to retain a youthful appearance
and who will not strive to keep away the marks of
age ? The latter, brought on by worry more than from any
other one cause, can be partly counteracted, if not prevented,
by relaxation. But this rest, the principal element of beauty
preservation, must be taken regularly as one would medicine
to cure a consuming fever, etc.
For instance, at a certain time each day there must be an
hour given over to rest. It is useless to say that one cannot
spare the time, for if rest is not procured there is no way of
combating wrinkles.
In addition to this relaxation a hot tub bath is needed, and
it should be taken before lying down.
As to the bath, it should include a scrubbing with bland
soap and a brush and a soaking in the warm water for about
ten minutes to relax nerves and muscles and get the body
into a condition that insures rest.
While bathing the face must be washed, and once a week
with a complexion brush the skin must be thoroughly
scrubbed, using green soap. After this wash if the skin has
a feeling of tightness it may be rubbed with a lotion made
of a quarter of an ounce of powdered borax, half an ounce
of pure glycerine and a pint of camphor water. This will
serve as a massage lotion for persons who do not use cold
Photo by Joel Feder, New York.
KEEPING WAIST LINE SMALL.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 113
cream on their faces, and special attention should be given to
the throat, rubbing that part directly under the chin that
first shows age by becoming flabby.
Rubbing there should be done with a brisk rotary stroke
to stimulate the tissues as well as strengthen them. The
lotion may also be rubbed into the chest and arms, for it is
soothing and refines the skin.
After this treatment loose clothing that will not restrict
free circulation and soft shoes should be put on. Then a
bedroom must be darkened, so while lying down there will
be no attempt to use the eyes.
Three-quarters of an hour is to be given over to this and
a woman must learn to keep her nerves relaxed during this
time. She will be more than apt to discover, at first, that
both nerves and muscles are tense, even though she is lying
down, and it will take several long, deep breaths to make
her lose the involuntary grip of herself. That she should do
this is imperative.
On getting up she may dress and go into the street with-
out the slightest danger of taking cold from the tubbing.
On going to bed at night a few calisthenic exercises must
be taken. The easiest of these consists in doubling the fists,
placing them at the shoulders and then thrusting them out
at arm's length swiftly. Both arms may be used together
and then alternately.
After that it is well to bend, trying to touch the floor with
the finger tips without bending the knees. This will help to
keep the waist line small. The exercises need not take more
than five minutes and are merely to prevent circulation be-
coming sluggish or the muscles tense.
I thoroughly believe in massaging the face at night, even
H4 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
though it has been done through the day. It should be well
washed to remove impurities and then cold cream or the
lotion, already given, applied.
It is taken for granted that only nourishing and easily
digested foods shall be eaten, avoiding those that are rich
and heavy.
Such is the course of beauty, which, if followed, will lead
to success.
CHAPTER X
FACE POWDERS
HARMLESS ROUGE
Carmine, one=quarter dram; sweet almond oil, one=half dram;
powdered magnesia, one ounce.
To mix, mingle the carmine and powder, and then slowly
work into the oil. The preparation should be forced through
coarse muslin several times, pressing out the lumps. It will be
in powder form, the oil being absorbed.
HOW TO DEVELOP RED CHEEKS
A GIRL who has little color in her cheeks may have
difficulty in developing a carmine tint in winter
because she may not use certain external appli-
cations possible in warm weather. Water, for example,
would bring the red, but would also cause the face to chap
were she to go directly into the wind after applying it. A
girl I know, whose cheeks are naturally colorless, by using
her own concoction of glycerine and English mustard, has
worked up a pretty flush. And this is the way she has
brought out the red : By rubbing into her cheeks a paste
made from English mustard, one teaspoonful of flour, and
enough glycerine to form a sticky mass. The theory is
simply that mustard brings the blood to the surface.
As soon as there is a sensation of smarting the paste is
washed off in warm water and a few drops of glycerine
rubbed into the flesh to prevent irritation. Caution must
"5
n6 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
be exercised in doing this that the original paste does not
remain on sufficiently long to cause blistering.
Applying first cold and then hot water to the face is rarely
satisfactory, because though the color is brought to the sur-
face in that way it does not remain. I have seen ice and
then extremely hot water put on with excellent results, due
principally, I think, to the agent employed in applying. For
this two thick pads, and better, four, made of several layers
of canton flannel about the size of a silver dollar, are used.
The edges are overhanded to hold them together. Two
of these were dipped first into iced water and laid on the
cheeks where color was desired. They remain for a couple
of minutes, or until the temperature begins to rise, when
they are again immersed and put back on the face. In a
minute more they are taken off and at once the other two,
dipped into hot water, are laid on the cheeks in precisely
the same spot where the cold application has been made.
This operation, alternated, is repeated until there is a dis-
tinct sensation of glow in the skin, which means that color
has been brought to the surface. In order to prevent pos-
sibility of chapping afterward, cold cream is rubbed over the
skin that has been wet.
Any girl may make her own rouge, if she wishes, by tak-
ing rice powder and coloring it with powdered carmine and
a little ocher, about one-quarter less of the latter than car-
mine. A cream being easier to apply, one may wish that
which is made by adding a little cold cream, remembering
that the shade of red must then be a little deeper, as the
grease lessens its coloring properties.
Beet rouge, that was popular with our grandmothers, can
be made by any one. The raw vegetable is thoroughly
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 117
washed and dried. It is then pressed against a grater until
the juice is extracted, and this liquid is then mixed with
starch or rice powder until the shade one wishes is attained.
It is finally covered with a thin cloth to keep out dust, and
set in the sun to dry. This is absolutely harmless when
applied to the skin. A few drops of rose or lavender oil
worked in will make it adhere to the skin better, but the
preparation thus made requires thorough sifting through
muslin to make it smooth.
FACE POWDER FOR BRUNETTES
Lycopodium powder, ten grams; talcum powder, ten grams;
powdered tannin, two and one=half grams; boracic acid, two and
one=half grams; essence of violet, five drops.
If desire tinted, one grain of carmine may be added.
To mix, mingle the powders and slowly work into the essence.
Strain six times through coarse muslin, forcing the lumps through.
TO PUT ON POWDER SO IT WILL NOT RUB OFF
IF a woman washes powder from her face before going
to bed, so the pores are not clogged over night, its
application will do no harm, always providing the cos-
metics contain no injurious ingredients. Many face pow-
ders, however, are made with lead or bismuth, which is af-
fected by the atmosphere, so the skin is discolored. Talcum
is undoubtedly one of the safest cosmetics that can be used,
for it is cooling and simple.
No powder should be used when stale, and those made
from rice, starch, etc., will be irritating, and have the capac-
ity to corrode when old. So it is always best to buy them
n8 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
in small quantities from reliable shops. A pleasant way
of scenting them is to keep a stick of orris root in the jar.
Persons whose skin is extremely dry need to put on an
under coating if the powder is to remain on. For this coat-
ing a teaspoonful of glycerine to half a pint of rosewater is
excellent. For use this is put on and quickly dried off, and
the powder evenly applied.
Liquid substitutes for powders commend themselves
strongly to many persons, and under some conditions have
advantages. For instance, they last longer, and at night
give a satisfactory finish to the complexion. But one fact
always to be remembered when using them is that they must
be put on with extreme care and evenness, otherwise there
will be patches of white which spoil one's looks.
The simplest liquid is composel of one ounce of pure
oxide of zinc, a dram of glycerine, four ounces of rosewater
and fifteen drops of essence of rose. To mix, the glycerine
is slowly poured over the zinc, stirring all the time to keep
a smooth paste. The rosewater follows, added in the same
manner. The essence goes last. When bottled there will
be a white sediment at the bottom, and the preparation must
always be shaken before any is put on the face. In applying
a piece of muslin or linen should be used.
FACE POWDER PROTECTS SKIN IN WINTER
FACE powder, a protection when applied with discrim-
ination to the complexion, may do much harm during
cold weather, because the cold is drying, and powder
has the same effect, and the two in combination may cause
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 119
a roughness which only months of treatment will smootti
away.
In my opinion, always, in winter, before going into the
street, a thin coating of cold cream should be rubbed over
the cheeks and chin. The merest atom on the finger tip
may be smoothed over, so that a slight amount of cream
covers the whole surface, neutralizing the unhappy effects
of temperature. After that powder may be dusted on. Then,
when leaving the house, the skin should be rubbed with
an astringent lotion that will remove the dust from the
pores yet will not increase the amount of grease.
For this lettuce water is excellent, and can be made at
home at any season. To prepare this lotion an entire head
of the vegetable is separated and washed carefully. The
leaves are then placed in a new agate or porcelain saucepan
and gently warmed, when the natural liquid or juice will
begin to be extracted. Warming must be slow, and the
pulp kept at a high temperature, without simmering, for
half an hour. The mass must then be strained through a
cloth, and for every teaspoonful of the juice thus obtained
ten drops of tincture of benzoin should be added. The
essence may be diluted and made more astringent by adding
double its quantity of high-proof alcohol.
A liquid balm agrees better than powder with some per-
sons' complexions during cold weather. This is made from
two drams of pure oxide of zinc, one dram each of glycerine
and orange-flower water, five drops of tincture of benzoin
and eight drops of essence of violets. The zinc is only cov-
ered with orange-flower water and stirred. The glycerine
and benzoin are put together, adding the rest of the orange-
flower water, the two mixtures then being mingled.
120 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
This preparation is shaken before being put on the face
evenly with a soft linen cloth. It should not stay on over
night. It is harmless if washed off before retiring.
The simpler face powders are the less apt to harm the
skin. The idea that powders per se are injurious is a mis-
take, unless they contain powerful ingredients.
CHAPTER XI
TOILET PREPARATIONS
NOURISHING COLD CREAMS
GOLD creams are like soap, as that which agrees with
one skin may not with another, so only by experi-
menting can one secure a mixture that is nourishing.
Some persons are strong advocates of witch hazel cream,
and there is no doubt of its efficacy when it agrees. Besides
being soothing, it has the added virtue of bleaching the
complexion. To make it, half an ounce of spermaceti and
a quarter of an ounce of lanoline are broken into bits in
a cup set into a basin of hot water, and then three ounces of
sweet almond oil are added. As the grease blends, and
before it becomes hot, it is removed from the bath and an
ounce of witch hazel is beaten in a little at a time with a
silver fork. If the mixture begins to harden before the
extract is in it may be returned for an instant to the bath.
If at any time it becomes really hot it will not harden.
Another soothing preparation, less greasy than the first,
is made from one-eighth of an ounce of best Russian isin-
glass, two ounces of glycerine, six ounces of rosewater and
ten drops of oil of roses. Part of the rosewater is slightly
warmed, and kept at a gentle temperature while the isinglass
which has been put in dissolves. As soon as the two are
blended it is removed from the heat and the other ingredients
added. It is a delicate jelly when cold. Cucumber extract
122 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
may be substituted for one-half the quantity of rosewater,
if wished; that is, three ounces of rosewater and three of
cucumber extract are used.
The foundation of many cold creams — a combination of
sweet almond oil, spermaceti, white wax and rosewater —
is given here because it is inexpensive, not difficult to make,
and is one of the best cleansing agents that can be employed
in warm weather. Any effect of grease may be entirely
removed by washing the face afterward in a saturated solu-
tion of borax.
The cream mentioned in the paragraph just read is made
from two ounces each of rosewater and sweet almond oil
and half an ounce each of spermaceti and white wax. The
last two are broken into bits in a china cup set into hot
water, and as they soften the almond oil is added. As soon
as the hard fats have softened the cup is removed from the
heat and the rosewater beaten in slowly. It is to be re-
membered that the mixture must not at any time become hot.
Saturated solution of borax is merely all the powder that
will dissolve in a certain amount of water. It may be mixed
by pouring liquid into a bottle until partly full, and adding
borax until no more is absorbed. This is applied to the
complexion with a soft cloth, and cuts the grease. It is also
cleansing.
One of the best preparations for the complexion is an
equal quantity of tincture of benzoin and glycerine. It is
applied as any cold cream. The greatest care should be
taken to use no grease that is the least rancid, or has passed
through any other change caused by heat or age, for when
the freshness is gone it must be discarded, as its use will
injure the skin.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 123
BUTTERMILK IS NOURISHING SKIN FOOD AND DRINK
BUTTERMILK is a food and cosmetic, useful in all sea-
sons of the year, but especially desirable during warm
weather, when, in my opinion, no household is com-
plete without it, for it is highly nutritive, is easily digested,
and most refreshing to drink. Also, it is inexpensive, a fact
that is not to be overlooked.
That some persons do not like the flavor of it at first is
a drawback, but one that can be easily overcome. I did not
like it at first, but now, in extremely warm weather, I can
live upon it, and instead of getting a phosphate, or ice-cream
soda, when thirsty, I recommend that a girl get a glass
of buttermilk. It is excellent for the complexion, and is
a benefit for the system. Incidentally, while upon the sub-
ject of its palatableness, let me state that there is more than
one quality of buttermilk, and that which is most healthful
is not bitingly acid. It has a certain tartness, but when sour
it should not be drunk, although even in this condition it is
not harmful. Also, it is easier to drink when cold. It
should be sipped slowly.
As a cosmetic it is used as a substitute for water, or in
conjunction, as one chooses. Personally, I prefer it as a
substitute, and inasmuch as it is to be bought for six cents
a quart, I do not regard it as an extravagance. Accord-
ingly as it is an adjunct, or a substitute, the method of using
differs a little. When water is not used the milk is put on
freely, wetting a soft old cloth and sopping the face, neck
and chest thoroughly. No soap is required.
This is at once washed off in warm water to which about
a teaspoonful of borax is added to a basinful of water.
124 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
Fresh buttermilk is then patted on with the fingers, letting
it dry.
When employed as an adjunct the first cleansing must
be done with soap and water, the skin being dried and but-
termilk patted on later and allowed to remain.
I am frank to state that the odor of buttermilk is not
pleasant, and in that lies the undesirable feature of its use.
Nevertheless, as a bleaching and refining agent I consider
it most valuable.
In cases of sunburn or freckles the milk should be put
on at the earliest opportunity, letting it dry into the skin.
Water must not be applied at any time while there is a
stinging or smarting sensation.
HOW TO MAKE TOILET LOTIONS USUALLY
CONSIDERED LUXURIES
IT always seems strange that girls haven't more luxuries
on their toilet-tables, for all are not expensive, as, for
example, an excellent astringent lotion can be made
from a teaspoonful of borax to two ounces of witch hazel.
This is splendid for cleansing the skin after motoring or a
train journey, and it has the added virtue of being bleaching.
Like all positive astringents, it is not to be used to excess,
or it will roughen the skin.
Simple, yet finely adapted to coarse flesh, is a cream made
by putting one ounce of sweet almond oil into a cup set
into a basin of boiling water. To the oil a piece of white
wax the size of a small English walnut is added as soon as
the latter is warm enough to melt it. To this as much borax
as will stay on the point of a penknife blade must be added,
and the whole beaten with a silver fork. I omitted to state
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 12%
that the cup should be removed from the heat as soon as
the wax is melted. I like to perfume this cream with two
drops of oil of lavender, which are put in just before the
preparation hardens. This is used as any cold cream, and
I, for one, like it.
Bath softeners are desirable, and by no means either diffi-
cult to prepare or expensive. A combination of bicarbonate
of soda and orris root is within the reach of almost any
girl's purse. The two powders are mixed in equal quan-
tities and a handful dropped into the bath. It is well to keep
the mixture in a tight glass jar.
Those who are so fortunate as to live in the country, where
sweet clover abounds, should use it, for the leaves, when
dried in the sun, impart a delicious odor. From dried
clover leaves an extract may be made by covering a quan-
tity of them with deodorized alcohol. This is put into a
wide-mouthed bottle, to stand for ten days or more. At
the end of such a period the alcohol may be strained off, or
the leaves allowed to stand. In either case the toilet water
thus made is a strong astringent, and a few drops in a basin
of water will be sweet and refreshing.
Tincture of benzoin should be on every dressing-table, for
it can be used in so many different ways, and is both soft-
ening and whitening to the skin. A few drops in a basin
of washing water act as a tonic.
ALMOND TOILET PREPARATIONS
ALMONDS, the Jordan variety, such as are used for
candies and salting, have marked virtue in toilet
preparations, for emulsions made from them, and
used constantly, impart whiteness and softness to the skin
V>6 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
and have an agreeable odor. Bitter almonds, used in small
quantities, are bleaching and astringent— that is, have these
elements — but preparations made from them are usually
more difficult to make than should be attempted by ama-
teurs.
Almond milk was a lotion in which our grandmothers
had unlimited faith for improving their complexions, but
care in making it is required. Beyond this it is not difficult.
Thirty large nuts should be bleached and broken into bits.
Bleaching consists in plunging the nuts, after they are
shelled, into boiling water, in which they stand for a couple
of minutes. The liquid is drained off, and each nut is
pinched between the fingers, when it will slide from its
jacket. The hulls are rejected.
Few persons have a marble mortar in which to crush the
nuts, so they may be broken in a china bowl. A wooden
pestle, such as is used for mashing potatoes, will serve to
crush them, if the implement is fresh. A lump of sugar
or a teaspoonful of the granulated kind is added at once
to aid in mingling the oil.
A half pint of rosewater will be needed, and this is put
in slowly, almost drop by drop, crushing the nuts all the
time. . The work is continued, and the water put in until
the nuts are only a coarse powder and the liquid is milky.
It should then be closely covered and let stand over night.
In the morning it is well shaken and poured through a new
cheese cloth to strain. To the liquid may be added half a
dram of any essence one chooses. This is almond milk,
which is the basis of many toilet preparations, and is astrin-
gent and whitening in itself. Pt may be wiped over the
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 127
complexion morning and night, drying on, and is to be
freely used on the hands.
When the skin is inclined, through dryness of the tis-
sues, to wrinkle, the astringent properties of the milk are
greatly increased by adding thirty grains of alum to three-
quarters of an ounce of the milk. The alum, powdered,
must first be dissolved in three ounces of rosewater, the com-
bination being added slowly to the milk.
Persons who fear to use grease or oils on their skin find
almond preparations, and especially the milk, a substitute,
in that it feeds the tissues.
SUGGESTIONS ABOUT COMPOUNDING COLD CREAM
INGREDIENTS
IN order to make nourishing toilet creams at home it is
necessary to understand how they are compounded, for
the best cold cream would be ruined if the fats were
allowed to become hot. Indeed, excellent ingredients made
ready for cold cream are often spoiled when in process of
preparation.
As to the mixing of these lotions, all cosmetics should be
placed in glass or china. Metal will dull the color, and
sometimes has a positively harmful chemical effect. A cup
or basin of china serves every purpose when fats are to be
melted, this receptacle being placed in another containing
hot or boiling water. The point to be watched at this stage
is that the fats shall be softened, even melted, but not al-
lowed to become hot. If they do they will never congeal.
In adding any oil at this juncture the fats must be removed
from the bath, and probably returned again for a moment
as the cold liquid begins to harden them.
128 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
The congealing process must be delayed until all the in-
gredients have been put together, and the great secret lies
in keeping the cream cool while mixing.
The best mixer for this is a bone or ivory spoon, but a
substitute is a solid silver implement, such as fork or spoon.
No tin or other metal should be used. The cream, when
finished, must be kept in glass or china boxes.
The great secret of successfully mixing face powders of
various kinds lies in sifting them many times. For this
work bolting silk is the best agent, but is so expensive that
few girls can afford it. As a substitute coarse muslin may
serve. An ordinary tin strainer of commerce is not to be
employed. When, as is the case with many powders, a per-
fumed oil is added, the mixing is more difficult, for the oil
should be dropped alone, and by degrees the powder must
be put in. If the operation is reversed mixing will be un-
successful.
The lumps, which even in the former state exist, must be
worked and crushed until they can be forced through the
muslin. Obviously, the difficulty of this is that the cloth
will break if one is not careful; yet if the lumps are not
forced into a smooth mixture all of the perfume, as well
as the quality for "sticking," is left out.
When liquids are put together, and powders form part
of the ingredients, care must be taken to dissolve those first
in some liquid that will absorb them. For example, many
creams contain alcohol and glycerine in combination with
a powder. The latter should go into the alcohol, and be
thoroughly absorbed before the glycerine is added.
It is only by observing precautions such as these that
success can be achieved.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 129
DELICATE PERFUMES COMPOUNDED AT HOME
TO make the best of perfumes at home, so their cost
will be comparatively small, I would advise several
girls who like a delicate scent in their garments, or
to put on their flesh after bathing, to club together and buy
a small quantity of some superior grade of essential oil. By
that I mean what might be called the original perfume, from
which toilet waters and extracts are made.
The oils, being pure, are extremely expensive, and half
a dram would make enough delicately perfumed water to
last a lifetime. Such an investment is not within the purse
of the average girl, but several may get the quantity, divide
the cost and the oil, and then have scent enough for several
months' use.
If this scheme is followed the oil chosen should be bought
from any of the large importing chemists, and enough money
should be paid for it to get an excellent quality, and some
deodorized alcohol or spirits of wine to mix with it.
When purchasing the oil a girl who snuffs it, expecting
to find the odor sweet, will be disappointed, for it is so
strong as to be almost acrid ; for not until the oil is reduced
with alcohol does the scent become fragrant. To give the
exact quantities of spirits of wine or deodorized alcohol
that may be put with a few drops of oil is impossible, because
it depends upon the quality of the oil and the heaviness de-
sired in the perfume. It will be necessary to combine the
two and try them, adding spirits as long as any acrid odor
remains.
When the mixture is complete it should be light and
volatile; sweet, without being cloying.
130 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
If sachet powders rather than liquid perfumes were used,
I think the effect would be pleasanter, for there is a soft-
ness, a delicacy about sachet that is impossible to get in
any other form. Of the powders, Florentine orris is so
largely imported now that it has gone down greatly in price,
and so may be used extravagantly, and yet never be unpleas-
ant. Dressing-table and chiffonier drawers, handkerchief
cases, and others for gloves, may be lined with it, for it im-
parts one of the most attractive odors. This is among the
cheapest sachets, and yet not even the most expensive is
daintier.
Dried lavender is delicious, inexpensive and lasting. It
deserves to be used more than it is as a perfume for personal
garments, for its freshness is invigorating.
Heliotrope, rose, and other sachets, being artificial — that
is, manufactured — are less lasting, and at the same time
more expensive. They may be indulged in occasionally, but
one of the others will be better for general use.
SKIN TONICS FOR USE IN THE BATH
BRAN and oatmeal bags are among the simplest and
best of cleansing agents, and it is unfortunate that
they are not used more frequently, for both are inex-
pensive and the work of preparing them is slight.
Bran may be bought at a feed store or the druggist's,
and bags to put it in may be quickly made at home.
These cases, fashioned from cheese-cloth, should be about
six inches square and sewed on the machine or in small
stitches with the fingers, leaving open only a small space
in which to put the grain.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 131
One formula for preparing bran is to put three ounces
of orris root, powdered, to six pounds of bran, mixing the
two thoroughly. If wished, three ounces of Castile soap,
scraped to a powder, may also be added. Each cheese-
cloth bag must be half filled with this mixture and then
sewed tightly together. A bag may be used not more
than three times and should be thrown into the bath as
soon as the water is drawn. As it should stand for fifteen
or twenty minutes in order to soften the water, it is well
to draw the bath hotter than is desired. The sack of bran
is rubbed over the body, or not, as one likes. The only
way of drying it, for another time is to hang it to drip.
To squeeze it would extract a large part of its beneficial
properties.
Oatmeal at its best, for these bags, should be of the old-
fashioned variety, boiled for fifteen or twenty minutes.
This expands the grains, so the starch will be easily ex-
tracted when thrown again into hot water. To five pounds
of this should be added a pound of powdered orris root
and a pound of almond meal. These two last ingredients,
that add materially to the expense, may be omitted, using
in their place Castile soap as suggested for the bran mix-
ture. Orris, while desirable for its scenting properties, is
not essential.
A tonic mixture, good for the skin and stimulating in
effect, for the bath, is particularly recommended for per-
sons of florid complexion and has the merit of not being
expensive. It is made from a gram each of bromide of
potassium and carbonate of lime, 300 grams of carbonate
of soda, eight grams of phosphate of soda, five grams of
sulphate of soda, one gram of sulphate of alumina, three
132 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
grams of sulphate of iron and a gram each of oils of laven-
der, thyme and rosemary. This is sufficient for one good
bath, but the mixture might be increased in quantity so
there would be enough for several different immersions.
Three times a week would be a sufficient number of times
to put it in the tub. Like the others, it should be put into
a bag, so the drain pipe will not become clogged.
Pleasant baths are made by scenting with some of the
essential oils. For example, a few drops of oil of lavender
in a tub of warm water will give a fragrant odor to the
skin. A mixture of equal parts of lavender, thyme and
rosemary is a pleasant combination. Care must be taken
not to use too much at a time, or the odor is unpleasant.
A teaspoonful is a large quantity for a tub.
HOW TO MAKE INEXPENSIVE TOILET WATERS
MIXING sweet scented toilet waters is a pretty kind
of work which is not expensive and results satis-
factorily. To compound these waters, use clean,
preferably new, glass bottles, with glass stoppers.
Extract of pink is among the most spicy and not ex-
pensive ingredients, and a delicious liquid is secured by
putting half a pint of rectified spirits with 'half of one
ounce of oil of pink. These should be shaken for several
minutes, to be thoroughly mixed, then tightly corked and
put away for several weeks. All scented waters are im-
proved by time.
Most inexpensive is another liquid, made by pouring
a pint of rectified spirits over three-quarters of an ounce
of cloves and one and one-half ounces of crushed cinna-
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 133
mon. The whole is bottled, corked and placed in a dark,
warm closet for a week, after which it is strained. The
water is decidedly spicy and has the virtue of never being
cloying.
Mignonette, the fragrance of which is so delicious to
many persons, may be made by mixing half a pint of ex-
tract of mignonette, two and one-half ounces of extract
of cassia, two and one-half ounces of. tincture of orris root,
one ounce of tincture of tonquin, one and one-quarter
ounces of tincture of benzoin and two ounces of triple
rosewater. This, like the others, must stand before being
used.
Heliotrope also can be made by putting half a pint of
extract of rose with three ounces of extract of neroli, a
pint of tincture of vanilla and seven drops of oil of bitter
almonds. This is particularly recommended for bureau
drawers and cupboards, for if it stands for some weeks,
tightly corked, before being used, the odor lasts.
Sweeter than any of the waters given is extract of tea
rose, made from one and one-half ounces of extract of
triple rose, five drams of tincture of musk, seven drops of
oil of neroli, five drops of oil of rhodium and one ounce of
triple rosewater.
It must be remembered with all of these that they can
be much diluted in strength by the addition of rectified
spirits in any quantity one wishes. Treated in this man-
ner, they become toilet waters, rather than extracts, and
may be more freely used. It is always a mistake to employ
any excessive amount of extracts, for the odor becomes
cloying. By reducing them to the strength of waters
chance of this vulgarity is avoided.
134 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
BENZOIN AN EXCELLENT TOILET PREPARATION
RECIPES for toilet lotions based on benzoin may in-
terest many women, because benzoin is bleaching,
astringent and softening.
The benzoin gum is soluble in pure alcohol, and a tinc-
ture may be made by putting into the liquid as much of
the gum as it will absorb. Precisely what this quantity is
cannot be told, but it is easily discovered, for by adding
the resin in small quantities until the last bit remains
whole the right proportion is secured.
A benzoin lotion excellent for chapped hands is made
by dissolving two ounces of the gum in a pint of alcohol.
It is rubbed over the hands several times a day and al-
lowed to dry on. Morning and night the face, after care-
ful cleansing, can be rinsed in the same fashion, letting the
liquid remain on for five minutes and then washing it off.
In the combination just given the astringent properties
are so strong that if the skin has a tendency to dryness
the effect might be undesirable. To make it entirely safe
a tablespoonful may be put into half a glass of water, and
this weak solution used five or six times during the day.
The addition of an ounce of glycerine to half a pint of the
original lotion renders the preparation more suited to
some complexions, where there is tendency to excessive
dryness. In this latter form it is known as lait virginal
and is among the most highly valued cosmetic washes.
Its continued use undoubtedly affects the skin favorably,
but improvement is not to be expected in a few days.
One of the remarkable qualities of benzoin is that it pre-
vents fats from becoming rancid. All cold creams should
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 135
contain a percentage of it, in proportion of a dram of the
tincture to four ounces of cream.
Benzoin in the stick heals sore lips, and because of its
astringent properties acts quickly. It may be rubbed over
the sore several times through the day and at night. The
strong tincture already spoken of is good for the same
purpose.
One sometimes hears it said that benzoin causes
wrinkles. This is true, only when the application is used
to excess. Small quantities unceasingly applied is the
rule for using.
The gum benzoin is used much in sachet combinations,
and an excellent lavender preparation is that made from
ten ounces of dried lavender flowers, three ounces of gum
benzoin powdered, six ounces of Cyprus powder and one
and one-half drams of oil of lavender. The powders are
mingled and the oil is then worked through them. The
mixture improves by being kept in tight glass jars.
CLEANSING POWDERS USED INSTEAD OF COLD CREAM
WHEN dust raised by spring winds makes necessary
some special cleansing agent for the face, and there
is prejudice against cold cream, emollient powders
may be substituted. These, besides cleansing, sometimes
have gentle bleaching qualities which refine the skin without
danger of injuring it.
Quite the best of these is made from four and one-half
ounces each of blanched sweet almonds and dried ripe tonka
beans, two ounces of powdered orris root, one and one-half
ounces of castile soap (so old that it may be powdered),
136 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
three-eighths of an ounce of spermaceti, a quarter of an
ounce of carbonate of soda and one and one-half drams each
of oils of bergamot, lavender and lemon.
This mixture is not difficult to make, but requires patience,
for the solids must be ground to a fine powder. They may-
be reduced in a coffee mill after it has been carefully cleaned.
When the dry ingredients have been mixed the oils must be
combined and the powder worked slowly into the solution,
breaking the large lumps into small ones and making sure
the oil is distributed thoroughly.
When it is to be used the powder, which is kept in a tightly
closed jar, is poured in a small quantity into the hands, which
first have been moistened, and they are rubbed together as
though soap had been put on, and then the suds rubbed on the
face, which must also be wet before the powder is applied.
It is rinsed off in clear water. A teaspoonful is enough to use
at a time.
A paste that is cleansing and bleaching is made from
twenty grams of powdered white castile soap, five grams
each of gum benzoin and storax and fifteen grams of pow-
dered spermaceti. These are thoroughly mingled in a china
basin and then twenty-five grains of strained pure honey is
worked in to form a smooth paste. This is covered and left
where it will keep warm. It should be slightly dry when
used as a soap.
Nothing could be simpler than a mixture of one ounce of
bicarbonate of soda, half an ounce of powdered orris root and
one-half a dram of powdered spermaceti. These should be
thoroughly mingled and kept dry. To use, the skin is
moistened before the powder is rubbed on.
This compound will not agree with a dry skin, but is ex-
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 137
cellent for one that is oily, being slightly drying and decid-
edly cleansing.
In my opinion, almost any cleansing agent is better than
soap for the face, save where, in exceptional instances, a per-
son finds one that agrees. Generally, after its use
the skin has a tight and dry feeling that is conducive
to wrinkles. A few drops of glycerine put on a bit of cotton,
like huckaback, which is slightly rough without being irritat-
ing, will remove dirt better than a large quantity of soap and
water. This grease must be rinsed off afterward in warm
water, finishing with a final rinse with cold.
Milk is excellent, it being put on in natural state, allowed
to dry in the skin, after the dirt has been removed, and then
rinsed off in clear water to prevent any sour odor. Butter-
milk is one of the cheapest beautifiers that can be bought, and
few are more efficacious in softening and whitening the skin.
OILY LOTIONS TO BE USED INSTEAD OF WATER ON
FACE
TO prevent the ravages of wind, dirt and cold upon the
complexion use some simple skin wash, substituting
it for water. The benefit of such lotions lies in the
fact that they cleanse without drying or hardening the skin,
and in many instances soften and refine it. Such a wash
made from fresh lemon juice, rain water, etc., is excellent,
but to get the best results it should be fresh every two days.
It consists of a tablespoonful of fresh lemon juice, half a
pint of rain water and a few drops of attar of roses. Rose
water may be substituted for rain water.
These ingredients are vigorously shaken and put on with
138 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
a thin piece of muslin. This cloth must be constantly turned
so that when mopping the face and neck the old dirt is not
rubbed into the skin again. The surface should be wiped
several times and finally dried with a soft cloth.
Should this be used as a substitute for water it will be
necessary to give the eyes different treatment, in order to
keep them properly cleansed. A weak solution of boracic
acid is always good, dissolving as much of the powder as
would go on the point of an ordinary penknife, in a gill of
water. With a bit of absorbent cotton the lids must be
mopped, letting some of the liquid go into the eyes.
Every one knows that cucumber juice is an excellent
astringent and bleach, but many girls do not realize how
simply it may be made. The vegetable is washed and dried,
then cut in tiny pieces, skin and all. This is put into a clean
saucepan and about a teaspoonful of water is added. The
whole then goes over a slight heat until the vegetable juice
begins to be extracted, when it can be subjected to a hotter
part of the fire. As soon as the liquid begins to simmer it
should be removed and pressed through a bit of cheese cloth.
The juice that is extracted is bottled, but left to cool, and
when cold is diluted with twice the quantity of water.
It is used in the same way as the lemon juice preparation.
Should it appear to dry the skin a teaspoonful of glycerine
may be put with half a pint of the lotion.
It is not to be expected that either of these will make the
complexion white and clear over night. Their effect will not
be perceptible from week to week, but there is no question
that constant application will render the skin finer, and that
at the end of six months the condition will be decidedly im-
proved.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 139
Water is acknowledged to be one of the most injurious
applications that can be made to the skin, but is used because
it is inexpensive and convenient. Clear milk is cleansing, but
buttermilk is excellent.
Applications of grease are extremely unlikely to cause any
superfluous hair to appear upon the face if the complexion is
thoroughly wiped over with alcohol, or any toilet water, after
applying cold cream. Alcohol or strong acids, such as vine-
gar or lemon, cut the grease, rendering it harmless. It should
not be forgotten that an overdose of acid will dry the skin
unpleasantly, even though there may have been a previous
applications of grease.
Tincture of benzoin intelligently used, is among the best
toilet preparations, but in extreme quantities it becomes over
astringent, causing wrinkles. An ounce of the tincture to
half a pint of pure alcohol, adding two teaspoonfuls of
glycerine, is both bleaching and softening, after a time. It
may be used without the glycerine, if one wishes, but in the
latter case should not be employed more than twice a day.
None of these lotions is expensive.
GLYCERINE LOTION WHITENS AND REFINES SKIN
THE existing prejudice against the use of glycerine is
not only often without legitimate basis, but fre-
quently prevents beneficial results from the applica-
tion of this agent. For, when combined with other ingredi-
ents, it makes soothing, nourishing and refining lotions.
Under no circumstances, however, should it be used full
strength on the skin, and that this fact is disregarded is the
chief reason that many persons say it is hurtful. Dilution
[140 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
is necessary, because so strong is it in the original state that
it irritates, causing burning so much complained of. In
healing qualities nothing can surpass it.
In combination with rosewater, glycerine becomes most
effective, and a few drops of carbolic acid, ten to the half
pint of the mixture of two-thirds rosewater and one-third
glycerine, adds to the curative properties.
In this form it is excellent for the hands, applying it after
washing and drying, then patting off the lotion with a dry
towel. The face may be treated in the same way once a day.
The idea that glycerine promotes a growth of superfluous
hair is a mistake, unless the liquid is used in large quantities
and for a long period of time. Apropos of using any heal-
ing agent a skin specialist, speaking of a cold cream known
to have great virtue, said recently that if after six weeks of
use the complexion showed no improvement the application
should be stopped. Six weeks should be regarded as a rea-
sonable length of time in which any lotion or hair tonic, etc.,
should show its efficacy. It is not that a cure is to be com-
pleted in this number of weeks, but that signs of improve-
ment should be visible. This rule applies also to glycerine.
Glycerine is in two grades and stress must be laid upon
the importance of securing that which is chemically pure, for
the other has salts of lime, that not only discolors the skin
but will injure any hair with which it comes in contact.
A cream made from glycerine should always be on hand,
for it is soothing for sunburns and will reduce redness of the
complexion caused from being in cold winds. It is made
from a gill of oil of sweet almonds, two and one-half drams
each of white wax and spermaceti, seven-eighths of an ounce
of glycerine, six-eighths of a dram each of oils of bergamot,
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 141
lemon and geranium, twenty drops of oil of neroli and two
and one-half ounces of rosewater.
To mix, the perfumed oils are combined and set aside.
The spermaceti wax and almond oil are then put into a cup
and set into a pan of boiling water to melt. They must not
become hot. As soon as they are blended the cup is removed
from heat, the glycerine is poured in and then the rosewater,
the latter added slowly while the mixture is beaten with a
silver fork. If the cream begins to harden at this stage the
cup must be returned to the bath for a minute. When the
rosewater is all in and the cream on the point of congealing,
the perfumed oils must be stirred in quickly, returning the
cup again to the heat, only for a second, if necessary to
soften, so the ingredients will blend thoroughly.
This is used as any cold cream for massage, cleansing or
as an emollient.
One of the most healing applications for chapped skin or
lips is glycerine and tincture of benzoin, mixed in equal
parts.
TO COMPOUND INCENSE FOR BURNERS
INCENSE burners are ornamental as well as useful, and
can be purchased in all kinds of metal, according to
the price, while the spicy scents burned in them can
be made at home at small expense. To secure a spicy, fra-
grant odor, fill a flat, shallow basin filled with boiling water
and put in a teaspoonful of cinnamon oil, and the spicy fumes
will be sent out by the steam. If it is possible to keep the ves-
sel where it will simmer, but not boil, the steam, being longer
retained, acts longer, and a whole room may be perfumed.
Oil of lavender may be used in the same way, as may any
142 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
of the pungent flavors, such as neroli, rhodium, etc. The
only trouble with the method is that it is not specially at-
tractive to look at, and so cannot be done in the presence
of guests. However, a room once perfumed in this manner
will retain the odor for several hours.
Ground cinnamon, and cassia, put away in garments, give
a fragrance that reminds one of spicy isles. Sandalwood
is, of course, the sweetest of all. Some old wiseacres be-
lieve that cinnamon has disinfectant properties when burned
in a room, and will kill germs. However this may be, some
of the powder, thrown on a hot shovel, will make an inva-
lid's room smell fresh.
Pastilles, the sweetened lumps that may be burned in
braziers, are chiefly of powdered charcoal, held together
with gum tragacanth and flavored with aromatic powders.
An inexpensive compound is made from four ounces each
of olibanum and benzoin, a dram each of oils of lavender,
cloves, cinnamon, thyme, caraway, sandal, rhodium and ger-
anium, an ounce of nitrate of potassium, and two pounds
of powdered willow charcoal.
Two ounces of gum tragacanth will be required. Over
these is poured enough water to thoroughly soften, which
will take several hours.
Into this the nitrate is put. All the oils are mingled, and
the first two ingredients are put with the charcoal, being
thoroughly stirred. The last is then slowly worked into
the oils and the gum at the same time. If the mass is too
stiff to work, a little water may be added until a lump that
can be handled is formed. It is then made into small cones
and put away to harden. These, to use, are lighted and
put into a brazier.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 143
Simple is a compound of two ounces of powdered gum
olibanum, half an ounce each of powdered benzoin and
myrrh, and five ounces of prepared charcoal. This is held
together with gum tragacanth. Half an ounce should be
enough. A little different in odor is another combination
of two ounces each of sandalwood and benzoin, an ounce
and a half of olibanum, an ounce each of cascarilla, cinna-
mon, cloves and niter, and seven ounces of charcoal. All
the ingredients are powdered. They are bound together
with gum tragacanth, rolled into sticks, and dried. They
are then ready for use.
CHAPTER XII
BATHS
WHEN COLD BATHS ARE HEALTHFUL
WHETHER or not one may take a cold bath in the
morning is a question that should not be difficult
to decide, for if after a plunge or shower there is
a feeling of reaction and exhilaration it is excellent, and a
tonic to the body; but unless there is this decided sense of
giow a cold tub is not healthful.
Nevertheless, cold water should not be condemned until
after intelligent trying. There is no more virtue in an icy
tub than in one which is just chilled, for it is only necessary
that the temperature should be a few degrees below that
of the body. This in itself will create a shock when applied,
but is not so severe as to drain the constitution. Also, a
cold bath, whether a shower or plunge, must last only a
couple of minutes. It is never a substitute for a warm,
cleansing tub, and must not be so regarded.
If a shower is used the water should dash sharply against
the body, the force of the spray helping to stimulate cir-
culation. If a plunge is preferred there must be enough
water in the tub to cover the body, and for the minute that
one remains under every muscle should be working, by
kicking, and moving the arms, legs, etc. Instant rubbing
with Turkish towels adds to the stimulating effect, and
afterward, if the bath agrees with the constitution, there will
be a distinct sensation of exhilaration.
144
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 145
Seme persons who are not strong enough to take cold
water in either of the ways suggested may derive benefit
from a cold sponge, which is merely wiping the arms and
body briskly with a cloth or sponge wet with cold water.
This is stimulating to the circulation and excellent for the
skin if it follows a warm washing.
A cold bath should never be taken at night, for exercise
afterward is imperative.
A warm bath at night is undoubtedly relaxing to the
nerves and most beneficial after a tiresome day. When used
for this purpose there is always the danger that it may be
overdone, and become exhausting, for the soothing effect of
warm water is such that to leave it is an effort. Rarely
should one stay in it longer than fifteen minutes, and for
delicate persons that is too long.
There are individuals strongly prejudiced against taking
warm tubs in the morning, on the basis of danger of catch-
ing cold. The risk of this is remote, I think, unless the
water is much hotter than the body. If the temperature
is little more than tepid, and there is brisk rubbing after-
ward, the pores are not sufficiently open to make the condi-
tion sensitive, especially as a person rarely goes out of doors
for an hour or more after leaving the water. There is no
doubt that a hot bath in the morning for one who must go
shortly afterward into the cold air would be dangerous.
TURKISH BATHS MAY BE TAKEN AT HOME
THE problem of a Turkish bath at home has been solved
by a clever girl who wished to take them regularly
and could not afford to go to a regular establish-
ment. Her equipment for the bath consists of three large
146 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
lamps and the family bathtub. The fact that the bathroom
is a small one aids her in getting the effect of heat desired,
but a compartment of ordinary dimensions may be similarly
adapted if more lamps and longer time are given to the pre-
liminaries. The most important part of the home arrange-
ment consists in getting the room hot, and this the girl finds
easier to accomplish in winter, when the steam is on, than
in summer, when she has only the lamps to produce heat.
To secure heat the windows must be closed tightly, also
the door, and the hot water turned on full. This soon begins
to throw off steam, which expedites the raising of the tem-
perature, and by the time it gets to eighty she stops the water
and the lamps are lighted. Each is placed in a different
part of the room, and on low tables, that the heat they throw
off shall not go too far from the floor. This arranged, she
goes out, closes the door, and for two hours permits the
room to gain heat. At the end of that time she has the
thermometer in it pointing to ninety, and gets ready for her
bath.
Using a steamer chair, quite as in professional baths, she
swathes herself in a sheet, and with her back to the light,
stays there for half an hour, during which time she gets
into a profuse perspiration. A jug of ice-water keeps its
coolness a sufficient length of time for her to have one
or two refreshing drinks, which also increases the throwing
off of perspiration.
A cold cloth on her head prevents any sensation of faint-
ness.
At the end of half an hour, the girl stands on a Bath mat,
before a basin of water, and with a good bath brush and
plenty of soap scrubs her entire body. Then, as well as
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 147
she can, she kneads and massages her body, the process
taking ten minutes or more. The lamps are burning during
this time, so that the heat of the room is maintained.
After the scrub she draws the tub full of warm water and
gets into it for a rinse. Then, letting off the water, she rubs
down with coarse salt, this being done before using bath
towels. Then she puts on a thin flannel gown, and goes to
bed, getting between the sheets. Her room is darkened, and
she gives half an hour to relaxing and resting. At the end
of that time she gets up, rubs herself with alcohol, and
dresses, feeling fresh and invigorated. The treatment should
have a beneficial effect upon her complexion, clearing and
refreshening it.
The bath is not one that should be taken by a person hav-
ing any heart weakness.
SPONGE BATHS ARE AS CLEANSING AS TUB BATHS
WITHOUT a daily bath a clear complexion is almost
impossible, for only by the stimulation secured
from water, and brisk friction afterward, can the
skin be kept healthy and circulation at its best. The efficacy
of water, judiciously applied, is great, so far as beauty is
concerned. *
And a bath in a tub is excellent ; so good, in fact, that we
are prone to regard it as a necessity instead of a luxury. But
just as good results, except in cases of illness, are obtained
by washing in a basin, provided one knows how to use it —
the "Florence Nightingale bath," as one woman flippantly
dubs the basin bath.
148 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
According to Florence Nightingale, one can be as clean
by using a quart of water as a hogsheadfull, and in point
of fact I am not certain that the former is not the cleaner
method. To be thoroughly sanitary in effect the body should
be sprayed, or immersed in fresh water after soaping, or
one emerges wet with that which is soiled. But how many
persons take a second plunge?
With the "Florence Nightingale bath" a rinse becomes
necessary, and the mode of procedure is to have a basin of
warm water and go over the body with a soapy cloth,
wrung out at intervals in the basin. Beginning at the face,
then the neck, chest and arms, every bit of the skin is laved
and f rictioned. Not until the feet have been similarly treated
is the water turned out. With a fresh basinful, and another
cloth, a second rubbing, which serves as a rinse, is taken.
In my opinion, it is useless to take such a bath unless
something is provided on which to stand, for to use the
liquid in quantity without spilling some is impossible. So
a soft Turkish bath mat, folded twice and laid on the floor
to stand on, makes the taking of this kind of wash enjoy-
able.
The habit of having a bath mat in one's trunk when mak-
ing a round of visits has been adopted by one woman, who
finds that it is not always possible to have the use of a bath-
room, and so, thanks to her mat, she is not deprived of a
daily and satisfactory bath.
A shower, if only from a hand spray, is to be classed
among the luxuries. To get the greatest benefit from a
hand shower one should stand on a mat, soap the body, and
then, standing in the tub, use the shower as a rinse; warm
first, changing gradually to cool. If a person has a con-
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 149
stitution which admits of finishing with a really cold shower,
the exhilaration from it is stimulating.
A cloth with the bath will remove soil, but it will neither
remove scarf skin nor prevent its accumulation. It is con-
stant use of a cloth that permits the accumulation of old
skin, the removal of which, in great rolls, is sometimes so
mortifying when having Turkish baths. Brushes cause a
surface stimulation which acts as a skin tonic, and no matter
what kind of bath is taken one should be used.
As. to keeping of a brush sweet smelling something
must be said, because should it become sour or stale the
odor imparted to the body is unpleasant. Each time, after
using, hot water should be run through the bristles to cleanse
them, followed by an immediate plunge into cold, to pre-
vent the "life" of the brush from being destroyed by heat.
It must be placed where it will dry rapidly in fresh air. A
small hook in the window frame serves this purpose if the
brush is hung so the bristles are down, permitting the water
to run off quickly, instead of soaking in.
When bathing is to be done in a tub the best results are
had from tepid water. Cold is not cleansing, and that which
is hot is likely to be weakening, but blood temperature is
good. The final rinse must never be omitted.
Always, in taking a bath, the face should be separately
treated. I do not believe in using water for it, save when
rain, boiled or distilled, can be secured. A cleansing sub-
stitute is far better, and frequently more efficacious in re-
moving soil. Camphor water is excellent, and so inexpen-
sive as to make it possible for almost every one. Camphor
water lotion comes under the head of astringent tonic
washes, and no family should be without it. It is made
150 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
from one-quarter ounce of powdered borax, one-half ounce
of glycerine and a pint of camphor water. When the skin
is oily glycerine may be omitted. In either case the lotion
is left to dry on the skin, and may be used freely.
Rose water is good. Almond milk is ideal when pure,
but difficult to make. About thirty Jordan almonds are
blanched, broken, and put into a mortar, with a level tea-
spoonful of granulated sugar. To this (slowly pounding
all the time) is added a pint of rosewater. The nuts must
be reduced to powder. The mixture stands for forty-eight
hours (bottled) before straining. The "milk," freely used,
is excellent for the skin, and is said to prevent wrinkles.
HOT BATHS ARE EXCELLENT REMEDY FOR INSOMNIA
ONE of the simplest and best panaceas for an attack of
nerves is a hot bath. If a woman who is fatigued
by the day's work finds herself unable to sleep after
going to bed, she had much better take a hot tub than to
indulge in a drug, even of the mildest description. There
is something remarkably relaxing in immersion in hot water.
To put a time limit upon the bath is impossible, because
it depends upon the original vitality of the individual. One
whose strength was much lessened could not stay in the
water for more than ten minutes, while for another twenty
minutes is none too long. The way one feels on getting
out is the best criterion, for there should be a gentle sensa-
tion of lassitude, but not that of exhaustion.
If to gain sleep is the object for which the bath is taken,
everything should be prepared before getting into the water.
The bed must be open, and there should be a hot-water bag
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 151
in it to warm the sheets, that there shall be no shock of cold
linen. Fresh air from an open window is a necessity, but
draught is not desirable.
These details attended to, the water in the tub should be
of a temperature just comfortable to the skin. After the
whole body has gone beneath the surface the hot faucet
must be turned on, slowly letting the temperature of the
bath rise until it is as hot as can be endured comfortably.
Occasionally, more hot water can be added in this way, for
as the skin becomes accustomed to warmth it can endure
more.
As this tub is not taken for cleansing purposes, it only
remains for the person to lie quite still, closing the eyes and
trying to relax the muscles. By giving oneself up to it in
this way much more good is accomplished than would be
from a vigorous scrubbing.
A person whose nerves are strained will find drinking
hot milk one of the most beneficial simple remedies that
can be taken. The addition of a little salt sometimes makes
it more palatable as a drink, as well as soothing to the nerves
of the stomach, and it is easily digested. Hot milk agrees
with many persons who cannot take it cold.
It is better to eat simply, and only a little at a time, if
the system is run down. For if the stomach is not healthy
it may digest a small quantity when the normal amount
would be quite impossible. A cup of hot milk every two
hours is wonderfully nourishing, or a cupful taken between
meals and on going to bed at night. Especially after a hot
tub the mild hot drink greatly aids the cure.
One who is troubled with sleeplessness should always have
some kind of light nourishment beside the bed to take dur-
152 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
ing wakeful hours. Sometimes even a small cracker, indeed
even a swallow of water, will draw the blood from the head
into the stomach and quiet the nerves. For this milk is bet-
| ter than water, and only a small quantity need be taken
at a time.
Closeness of atmosphere will not infrequently cause one
to stay awake, and the proper manner of ventilating should
be given careful attention. A direct wind upon a sleeper
is not good, but a constant ingress of fresh air is essential.
LUKEWARM TUB IS REFRESHING IN SUMMER
IN an effort to preserve strength and beauty of complex-
ions during the heat of summer women will find that
warm baths are an assistance. Hot baths are heating to
the blood, for after a sensation of coolness that exists for a
few minutes when leaving the tub, a feeling of discomfort
follows. Cold baths are undoubtedly heating, and so, elim-
inating both, tepid plunges are the only hope for refresh-
ment.
For a tepid batfi a tub filled more than half full of water
which is "just cool" to the hand is refreshing at the end of
a hot day. In water of this temperature a person of normal
health may remain for fifteen minutes. Of course, this
length of time will weaken one who is not strong, and for
such a cool sponging may have better results.
One who really cares for her tub, and for getting the most
refreshment, will make a point of adding some tonic or
astringent preparation to it. Some of these lotions are in-
expensive to make, and decidedly beneficial in their action
on the skin. For example, one which I like is made from
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 153
six grams of oil of bergamot, two and one-half grams each
of oils of citron and Portugal, one and one-half grams each
of oils of neroli and petit gran, three-quarters of a gram of
oil of rosemary, one and one-half grams each of essence of
rose and balsam of tolu, and a pint of deodorized alcohol.
This should stand tightly corked for several days, and then
should be strained through coarse paper. A few spoonfuls
must be put into a tub of water. Soap should not be used
at the same time.
Simpler, and less expensive, and at the same time tonic
in its properties, is a mixture of a quarter of an ounce of
oil of lavender, one-quarter of a dram each of oils of ber-
gamot and lemon, half a pint of spirits of wine and a quar-
ter of a pint of rectified spirits.
The cost of either of these is materially reduced if they
are used from an atomizer after the bath. In applying a
tonic from an atomizer the body must be gently dried and
then sprayed.
There is so much refreshment in a salt rub, that at this
season of the year girls should have a box of it in their
dressing-rooms, and after taking a bath, and before the body
is dried, it should be rubbed into the flesh. Some of the
grains will adhere for a few minutes, while others fall im-
mediately. As they dissolve in water, there is no objection
to standing in the tub during the rub, so the room will not t
become untidy. Afterward the body must be gone over
again with a towel to remove the salt.
Half the secret of refreshment from a bath in warm
weather lies in a gentle and not vigorous rub afterward.
The latter will stimulate circulation and put a person into
a glow. Therefore the utmost care must be taken to dry
154 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
without using much strength. One woman makes a prac-
tice of putting on a crash dressing-gown, without first using
a towel, and lying down for five minutes. In this way mois-
ture is absorbed with no effort on her part, and she feels
fresh and cool.
BATH WATER MUST NOT SHOCK NERVOUS SYSTEM
HOW to adapt the temperature of bath water to best
suit the system might seem a simple matter, but
judging from the number of persons who ignore it
advice on the subject seems necessary. There are persons,
women, without exception, who declare that a daily tub does
not agree with them. As a matter of fact, nothing can be
more beneficial to the physical condition, as well as to the
skin, if only the water is not so hot or so cold as to debili-
tate one. One hears a woman declare that a bath weakens
her. One of two things then is certain : either she takes it
too hot or stays in the water too long.
There may be a gentle and desirable relaxation, so
refreshing as to be stimulating, from a bath that is warm,
but to gain this benefit the water must not be hot.
It is impossible to lay down any rule as to the precise
point of heat to which water may be brought, because what
would be warm to one person would be chilly to another,
the degree of heat depending upon the individual's general
physical condition. The nearest one can come to specific
instruction is to state that the bath should impart a gentle
feeling of warmth as soon as the water touches the body,
but that it must not be hot.
This getting into water that is so steaming as to make
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 155
the first entrance one of Spartan fortitude is to be com-
mended only when trying to break up a cold or to throw the
body into a state of perspiration. There is no reaction from
it; indeed, such water is debilitating in effect, and immedi-
ately after taking such a tub a person must go to bed. Even
resting will not be sufficient, and one would probably waken
from a nap feeling weak and languid after a very hot tub.
Under no circumstances should a person remain longer
than fifteen minutes in a tub; and ten minutes is enough.
This, of course, is in warm water; in cold one would not
stay longer than two or three minutes. When in the water
use a bath brush. It has excellent cleansing qualities, as it
gives surface stimulation if gently rubbed on the skin. A
woman who has once used a bath brush will not enjoy her
tub without using one.
A bath every day is none too often, an opinion with which
every woman will agree when she has learned to regulate
the heat of the water. This bath is best taken late in the
afternoon, and a woman must lie down for five or ten min-
utes, or longer. This is not a good hour for a busy woman,
however, and so she will get the most benefit by taking her
bath at night, just before going to bed.
At such times as, for physical reasons, a bath is not pos-
sible, a dry rub is excellent. To give it the whole body
should be briskly rubbed ith a coarse bath towel, stimu-
lating the circulation and preventing the accumulation of
dried skin.
156 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
PERSPIRATION CLEANSES THE SYSTEM
THOSE persons who rail against perspiration do not
grasp how important is this function of the skin, for
impurities that would otherwise injure the system
are sent through the pores and in moisture exuded. If per-
spiration is excessive it becomes unpleasant, but a perfectly
natural and moderate amount of moisture is to be desired.
The effort to entirely close the pores, a condition tried
so continuously by many women in summer, if accomplished
would be most unfortunate, for the treatment would ruin
the skin.
The worst effect astringents can have is to cause a slight
surface dryness, and the instant this condition becomes more
pronounced it results in rough and scaly flesh. And as each
woman recognizes this she remarks that the wash she uses
in hot weather "does not agree with her." When such is
the case she has applied it excessively, and worse than use-
lessly.
It is equally true that excessive perspiration is sometimes
due to nervousness, even when the physical condition is
sound. One who permits herself to become flurried and
upset will suffer from moisture when she would be entirely
comfortable could she but control her nerves.
Physical weakness, of course, always makes for perspira-
tion, and when the trouble is due to that condition tonics
should be taken internally and an effort made to build up
the system.
To have the pores remain closed in warm weather is to
suffer even more than ordinarily from the heat. Moreover,
it is not conducive to health. If the tiny holes of the body
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 157
are not permitted to remain open and to breathe, sickness,
and sometimes death, results. The death of a small child
in Italy several centuries ago was directly traced to the fact
that, owing to his beauty, his body was gilded, and he was
carried in a pageant through the streets. The gilt could not
be removed later, and the child sickened and died because
the natural functions of the body had been interfered with
by his golden skin covering.
All this is not to say that nothing should be done to check
perspiration. It is merely that the organic value of this
state should be appreciated. To allow perspiration to re-
main for any length of time on the skin is most unpleasant,
if not offensive, and one whose glands excrete rapidly should
take every possible precaution to bathe frequently and put
alcohol in the bath, or use harmless astringents. Violent
exercise must be avoided and fresh clothing worn next the
skin. Body linen that has once been soiled by perspiration
stimulates the flow if put on again.
REMEDIES TO REGULATE FLOW OF PERSPIRATION
THOSE persons who declare with satisfaction that they
do not perspire are as little to be envied as those
who have excessive exudations from the pores. For
in the former case impurities are not thrown off as they
should be, and neither blood nor skin can be as fine as they
would if properly cleansed. For unless there is a normal
flow from the pores the skin will be thick and muddy, lack-
ing the translucency so desirable.
The use of astringents would be deplorable were it not
that none can effectually close the pores, and only those per-
158 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
sons who require something to counteract an oily aspect of
the skin should ever apply them. Cold is the only agent
that entirely stops the excretion, though cold in the sense
of illness is not meant. Any one knows that the applica-
tion of cold water immediately checks perspiration ; not that
the flow is dried, but the breathing spaces of the skin are
at once stopped.
To regulate the amount thrown off by the body is neces-
sary, for excessive perspiration is not only unpleasant but
weakening. Precisely how much one can control it depends
upon the apportunities for taking care of one's self, and
those who may luxuriate at their ease when the tempera-
ture is high have no trouble.
For those who must work, regardless of temperature, there
are alleviating makeshifts. I know one woman who, per-
spiring much on her chest and shoulder blades, has hit upon
a simple expedient for protecting her stays. She takes new
white blotting paper, cuts it into strips about eight inches
long and three or four wide. One of these she places under
her stays in front and behind before clasping them. The
strips are firmly held in place, and they absorb the moisture
that otherwise would be taken up by the underwear. The
pieces can be used only once, but they are so inexpensive
they do not count.
Another woman who goes to business each day has sep-
arate under yokes, one of which she always wears. They
are made from men's handkerchiefs, one side of which is
slit directly in the middle to the center. A circle is cut out
there for the neck, and this is hemmed around neatly, the
two raw edges being finished in the same fashion.
The one to be worn is sprinkled with lavender water and
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 159
then put on smoothly. The waist goes over it, and if she
perspires through the day the moisture is taken up by the
yoke, thus preserving the freshness of the waist, especially
when it is a colored one. The yokes are easily rinsed when
taken off, and have the merit of being fresh each day when
necessary, requiring no ironing if smooth when hung to
dry.
A copious use of powder is desirable for the body in warm
weather, but it must be removed at night by bathing, else a
constant closing of the pores will injure the skin. A pow-
der which is slightly astringent, and so recommended for
excessive perspiration, is made from two drams each of
oxide of zinc and boracic acid, four drams of lycopodium
powder, an ounce of starch and half an ounce of powdered
orris root. These must be mixed, and then sifted many
times to mingle thoroughly. It is best put on with a big
puff, dusting quickly.
No matter how profusely any portion of the face may
perspire I think pure alcohol should be rarely used. It is
cooling and refreshing, undoubtedly, but also it is extremely
drying to the skin, and a fine network of wrinkles invariably
follows its constant use. Toilet waters are less drying, but
even with these the complexion should be watched lest it
become injured. At the first indication of surface dryness,
a condition easily observed, there must be an immediate
application of grease, though in small quantity, to restore
the natural oils that have been absorbed.
CHAPTER XIII
EYEBROWS AND LASHES
EYEBROW AND LASH TONIC
Red vaseline, five grams; boric acid, ten centigrams.
Make into a smooth paste, and massage into the brows at
night, also rubbing lightly over the lashes at the roots.
TO MAKE EYEBROWS BEAUTIFUL
*
TO beautify the eyebrows, brush them often, drawing
the brush always in the direction in which the hair
grows. This means a straight line just beyond the
center of the eye, and then a downward droop, like a bird's
wing. The perfectly shaped brow is indeed quite like a
swallow's wing, the line long and sweeping, the hair short
and thick without being coarse.
Every night the eyebrows should be massaged, never
drawing the fingers in a direction opposite to that in which
the hair grows. Stroking is done with the finger tips, the
motion being strong to induce quickened circulation, but
not to wear off the hair. If a tonic is required, a few drops
of oil of cajeput may be rubbed in during the massage.
Red vaseline is another excellent tonic, and one ounce,
combined with one-half a dram of tincture of cantharides
and seven drops each of oils of lavender and rosemary, is
one of the best that can be used. It should be put on at
160
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 161
night, but a little may be rubbed over in the morning, before
going out. Any great quantity at that time, however, will
give a greasy and unpleasant appearance.
When one remembers that the effect of excessive use of
water on hair is drying, it will be readily understood that
the brows are constantly being exhausted of their natural
nourishing oils, and it is for this reason emollients must
be applied. A mixture of ten grams of red vaseline to ten
centigrams of boric acid is a simple tonic that can be put
on at any time.
Scrawny brows are frequently improved by applying the
smallest quantity of grease, thereby imparting a luster. At
the same time their growth is slightly promoted.
An old authority recommends dipping a fine camel's-hair
brush into sweet almond oil that has been slightly warmed,
and wiping this over the brows in the morning. The object
in heating the oil is to make it more like liquid. Should
there be any trace of oil afterward the brow must be wiped
with a piece of soft cloth.
The brush required to bring about best results is shaped
not unlike that for the teeth, but the bristles must be fine
and soft, like those used for a baby's head. Indeed, a brush
that baby has outgrown is admirably suited for the brows.
ABOUT MAKING EYEBROWS AND LASHES SHAPELY
WOMEN, as a rule, do not realize until it is too late
that eyebrows are a most important part of the
face, and so they neglect them often until the
hair becomes coarse, or, if the brows are thin, they do not
strengthen or try to develop the roots. Thus, when any
1 62 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
attempt is made to beautify the hair lines above the eyes the
task is difficult.
In a rejuvenative treatment it is important to brush the
brows morning and night.
Training, however, includes more than brushing, and in-
cidentally all this treatment should be given to the lashes.
The exception to the above statement is clipping to make
the lashes grow. This process must be carefully done or
the hair will become stubby and coarse. If the cutting is
done by a second person it may be beneficial.
Clipping is not to be done oftener than once a month,
and not always then. After washing and gently drying
the eyes, the person being treated should seat herself where
a clear light will fall on the lids. The "operator" is then
to examine each hair minutely, and if any one appears bent,
split, or out of condition, it is to be lightly clipped at the tip.
Direct cutting in a straight or curved line is reprehensible,
and the result will almost surely be a coarse and stubby
growth.
Before clipping it is necessary to have the lids in a healthy
condition, treating any redness or swelling which will injure
the fringe growth. Weak sight sometimes is the cause,
but equally it may be due to the blood, and must be treated
accordingly. If the lids are scaly in the morning they may
be touched at night with a preparation of one part each of
red oxide of mercury and pure glycerine, with three parts
of lard washed free of salt. These ingredients are thor-
oughly blended and then rubbed on the edges of the lids,
taking care that none gets into the eyes. In the morning
the lids must be gently washed with warm water, and sev-
eral times during the day a similar bathing must be given.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 163
When the redness is gone from the lids it remains to work
on the lashes. Oil of cajuput is beneficial, and best put on
with a tiny camel's-hair brush.
It is to be remembered that the roots and not the tips of
the lashes are to be anointed. Meantime the lids must be
watched for a recurrence of the redness, for should it appear
the cajuput must be stopped and the mercury and glycerine
ointment substituted until the irritation is controlled. Other-
wise the roots will be affected and the lashes will fall.
Under no conditions are the brows to be clipped, unless
one wants them to look scrubby. Incidentally, the difficulty
of improving too heavy or stiff brows is great, but it can
be done. To accomplish this, every night they should be
anointed with bandoline or sticky pomade, to hold the hairs
in place.
A bandoline for this purpose may be made from two
ounces of clean, powdered gum arabic dissolved in a gill
of warm rosewater. A drop of analine dye will tint it,
and in cases of extreme stiffness of the hairs this may be
kept on them during the day as well as at night, until the
hairs have been trained in the way they should lie. If such
heroic measures are unnecessary the application is made
only at night, great care being taken that no hairs get criss-
cross. The finger tips will do this work better than a brush.
When the brows meet over the nose the only way of im-
provement is through electrolysis. Application of the needle
should be made to remove all hairs over the nose, and intel-
ligence is necessary that too many shall not be exterminated.
To clip or pull out the offending hairs only makes them
worse ultimately.
No person will expect that visible results from this treat-
1 64 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
ment will be accomplished in a few weeks. Two or three
months at least will elapse before the slightest improvement
will be seen, and the longer the time, with regular applica-
tions, the greater will be the benefits.
The inclination of women to darken their blonde brows
and lashes is one that must be controlled, for if the hair
is to benefit by the treatment the roots must not be dam-
aged with dyes or chemicals. Surface colorings that do
not sink into the pores do not injure, but the chances are
they will not improve. Nevertheless, if there is satisfac-
tion in experimenting, it may be done. Burnt cork, obtained
by literally charring a piece of cork, is a harmless black.
It will hold better if the hair is first slightly touched with
glycerine. It comes off easily.
India ink, dissolved in water, is another harmless appli-
cation, but it must not be allowed to touch the skin. A fine
camers-hair brush is best for putting it on.
Either of these can be used during the day, washing off at
night before applying cajuput.
EXPRESSION OF FACE IS DETERMINED BY
EYEBROWS
WORK on the eyebrows may change the entire expres-
sion of the face, for the way in which the hairs
above the brows points affects the entire counte-
nance, a statement which if doubted by any person may be
proved on the instant. For if a woman stands before a
mirror and "ruffles" her eyebrows, she will see at once that
however smiling she is the aspect is one of bewilderment
and confusion, while if the brows are smoothly brushed,
swept down in a broad line instead of a narrow one, the
Photo by Joel Feder, New York.
TINTING PALE EYEBROWS AND LASHES.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 165
person is apt to have a solemn look; but if the brows are
brushed across straight, and the outer end swept along
toward the ears in a narrowing point, the appearance will be
trig and well kept.
Under no circumstances, therefore, should scrupulous
daily care of the brows be omitted, and a brush for their
use should be regarded as part of the toilet equipment. The
bristles of such a brush must be soft.
If the hairs in the brows are in good condition a nightly
application of vaseline will be enough to keep them glossy.
Red vaseline is the best for this purpose.
For thin and scraggy eyebrows a more pronounced tonic
is required, and in nine cases out of ten regular applica-
tions, with gentle rubbing by the finger tips, will greatly
benefit the appearance. An excellent eyebrow and lash tonic
is made from five grams of tincture of rosemary, one gram
of tincture of cantharides, and fifty grams each of spirits
of camphor and cologne. This is wiped over the brows
every other night, applying a few drops of oil of cajeput on
alternating nights, and stroking carefully as the hairs should
grow. Oil of cajeput is a particularly good tonic, and may
be employed alone.
CHAPTER XIV
EYES
TO TAKE PAIN FROM STRAINED EYES
A SOOTHING tonic for the eyes is necessary on every
dressing table, for as soon as these organs of sight
become tired they are apt to smart and have a heavy,
droopy feeling. A tonic made from five grains each of pow-
dered alum and sulphate of zinc, with a gill of boiled and
cooled water, is excellent for this feeling. The liquid is
shaken until the powders are dissolved, then filtered through
coarse brown paper. One cannot be too careful to have all
preparations for the eyes free from any particles, however
minute, or they will cause irritation.
The eyes may be wet with this or the liquid may be poured
into an eye cup and the lids open and shut in the bath. In
the latter case there should be an empty bottle in which to
keep the tonic which has been used once or more, adding
fresh to it when needed.
When the eyes water easily and the lids are red, a prescrip-
tion recommended is one compounded from half a gram of
borax, five grams of quince seed mucilage, two and one-half
grams of cherry laurel water and fifty grams of boiled and
filtered water. This must be mixed and filtered through
paper. When using, three times the quantity of water is
added and a few drops are put into the eyes.
That unpleasant condition of crusts on the lids, after
sleeping, is caused sometimes by a general physical condition,
i66
Photo by Joel Feder, New York.
MASSAGING TO REDUCE SWOLLEN EYELIDS.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 167
and occasionally by a defect in the sight, with which the lids
sympathize. For this trouble a preparation of white of egg,
in which a bit of alum is rubbed until the egg curds, is con-
sidered soothing. The eyes, or rather the lids, are coated
with the curd at night, a bandage being tied on afterward.
Styes almost invariably indicate a weakened condition of
the system, but external applications relieve and better the
lids. A pomade for the purpose is made from four grams
white vaseline and five centigrams each of white precipitate
and oil of birch. This is applied at night. A drop of bella-
donna on a lump of sugar is an old-fashioned remedy that is
taken when symptoms of a stye are first manifested. At the
same time the lids are to be bathed in warm elder flower
water.
Nothing will better draw out inflammation caused by tears
than to soak the eyes in hot water. To do this the cloth
should be wet and laid over the lids, renewing as soon as the
heat subsides. Ten minutes of this makes the whole face
red, and as the blood recedes the lids bleach with the rest of
the skin.
PREPARATIONS THAT MAY PREVENT INFLAMMATION
OF THE EYES
THE preparation of soothing and healing lotions for the
eyes should be known to every housekeeper, for the
reason that acute pain often arises from trifling acci-
dents, and to prevent inflammation until professional treat-
ment is secured, timely application is necessary. If there is
tendency to weakness of sight, or to swollen eyelids, the
latter sometimes due to a low condition of the system, appli-
cations may be beneficial.
1 68 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
Of simple home remedies hot water is one of the best ap-
plications that can be used when the eyes are inflamed,
whether from crying or from irritation made by a foreign
particle lodged on the eyeball or lid. The water should be
as hot as can be endured, and two soft cloths are necessary
for the treatment, as one must be wrung out and put over the
eyes, while the patient lies down, and as the compress cools
the other is immediately laid on. Twenty minutes of this
will usually reduce the redness from a prolonged fit of crying.
Camphor water eye wash, of which one hears so much, is
easily prepared by putting a grain of borax to an ounce of
camphor water. It is safest to filter this or any other mix-
ture containing a powder through brown paper, that no
smallest particle shall remain. The lotion may be dropped
into the eyes several times a day and at night. In extreme
cases of irritability a tiny piece of linen is soaked with the
solution and laid directly over the lids, renewing as it dries.
If this treatment is continued through the night, as may be
done with little trouble, the eyes will be improved in the
morning.
Tea makes a better eye tonic than many persons know, for
the tannic acid which is extracted from the leaves is an excel-
lent astringent. For this use a strong decoction is brewed
with boiling water, and the infusion stands until the liquid is
cold. It is then strained and the eyes are freely bathed.
For acute inflammation that often appears when a foreign
particle is not quickly removed from the eye an alum mixture
is strongly recommended. A grain of the powder is put into
an ounce of water and after the former has dissolved the
lotion must be filtered through brown paper. A few drops
are put into the eye immediately and at night. Equally
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 169
soothing is sulphate of zinc and rosewater, a grain of the for-
mer to an ounce of the latter. This, too, is dropped in night
and morning.
When the lids are inflamed and swollen a cream to be
applied at night is made from a grain of yellow oxide of
mercury and half an ounce of rose salve, both of which may
be bought at any druggist's. The eyes must be thoroughly
bathed first in hot water, drying well before putting on the
salve. Care should be taken that this emollient does not get
into the eyes.
TO MAKE EYES BRIGHT
THE majority of women would possess bright eyes if the
sight were not impaired or if indigestion or kindred
troubles did not make the eyeballs dull. Lack of
sleep will, of course, detract from brightness. But if one is
not getting enough sleep the cure is obvious. And if in-
somnia is the cause of wakefulness much may be done toward
improving such a condition if one will give time during the
day to resting the eyes by keeping the lids closed and protect-
ing the pupils from the light.
Before lying down a few drops of a simple tonic composed
of ten grains each of powdered alum and sulphate of zinc and
a half pint of distilled water, should be dropped into the eyes.
Boiled and filtered water may be substituted for distilled.
This, like any liquids put into the eyes, must first be passed
through brown paper as a strainer, for a minute particle will
be irritating to the eyeball. A cloth may be wet with the
lotion and laid over the lids while resting.
When the lids granulate or are inflated an ointment recom-
mended by some physicians is made from one and one-half
i;o HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
drams of petroleum, one dram of white wax, eleven ane one-
half grains of oxide of zinc, a grain of yellow oxide of mer-
cury and five drops of oil of lavender. The wax and petro-
leum are put into a china cup and set into a basin of hot
water. The oxide of mercury and of zinc are also put into
another cup and are mingled by stirring with bone or ivory.
Metal must not touch them..
The first two ingredients are poured over the second,
stirring all the time, and the oil of lavender goes in just
before the cream cools. Before this is rubbed over the lids,
which should be at night, they must be carefully washed and
freed from impurities.
Careful attention to a suitable arrangement of light when
working or using the eyes has much to do with their bright-
ness. If they are strained the lids will be red and the organ
may water easily. It is worth while to have the light fall
over the left shoulder when sewing, reading or writing. If
one cannot take such an attitude the eyes must be protected
by other methods. Shutting them, if only for five minutes at
a time, through the day, is certainly a simple and an excellent
tonic.
Indigestion suggests its own cure for increasing the beauty
of the eyes. Pronounced dulness is almost always the result
of stomach trouble or of kidney complications. This, how-
ever, is a matter which only a physician can decide.
CHAPTER XV
EARS
CARE OF EARS IN WINTER
MORE than one earache is caused by temporary neg-
lect, and many pains in these organs might be pre-
vented if some simple treatment, such as the veriest
layman may practice, were carefully followed.
One of the first principles of these home remedies for the
ears is to keep these organs free from wax. And in cold
weather particular attention should be paid to this natural
secretion, for it hardens more quickly in the winter.
This hardening leads to the discomfort of temporary deaf-
ness and may even make pain. So frequent clearing of the
orifice must be given. This treatment must be carefully ad-
ministered, so the delicate structure will not be injured. A
safe way of removing the wax is with a wire hairpin. This
must be covered with a thin piece of muslin, well soaped and
wet, and then put into the ear. The wire loop is turned to
and fro, but never thrust in so hard as to make any sensation
of surface pain. Wax which cannot be removed in this way
must be looked after by an ear specialist.
Some ear specialists, when called for earache, promptly
prescribe a cathartic of drastic character, and also anything
that will help to remove blood from the head. The less
pressure there is on this organ the less will the pain be, so
that hot foot baths are highly commended. It is understood,
of course, that a patient whose ear is in bad condition takes
171
172 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
every possible precaution against adding to cold, and there-
fore bed is the place for him.
One cannot be too careful, however, when there is the
slightest pain in the ear. Aurists declare that an extraordi-
nary number of cases of deafness are due to neglected ear-
aches, and that the so-called "trifling" attacks that children
go through should not be regarded as unimportant. Mas-
toiditis, which is an illness most to be dreaded, is simply an
advanced case of earache and may be fatal.
TO CURE EARACHES
TREATMENT of the ears has changed so radically in
recent years that when professional care can be se-
cured home remedies should not be resorted to. But
when one is in the country, and pain in the ear is excruciat-
ing, soothing applications should be used. Yet, while these
undoubtedly have their value, something of the latter the-
ories should be understood, so these healing agents will not
be abused.
According to latter day methods, the practice of putting
cotton or any other substance into the ear is deprecated, not
only as making a gathering place for germs, and therefore
increasing the trouble, but also because if the orifice is closed
in that manner poisonous fumes which may exist cannot
escape. The idea also exists, and rightly, that cotton makes
the ear sensitive by creating extra warmth .
Should it be necessary, as in case of discharge of pus
from the ear, to have cotton to absorb the exudation a piece
should be placed, not in the orifice, but in the hollow below.
This will catch any excretion and at the same time leave the
hole open.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 173
When the ear aches, as from a cold, a soothing application
is a mixture of equal parts of olive oil and tincture of lauda-
num. It is slightly heated and a tiny bit of absorbent cotton
is wet with it. This piece is then put into the ear as far as
it will go without causing pain. Another application that
our grandmothers used is two grains of sulphate of atropine
and a quarter of an ounce of pure water. With this the
inner part of the ear is painted every three or four hours.
One of the oldest remedies that may yet be used under
certain conditions is the hot heart of a raw onion. The
vegetable must be made hot in order to extract the oil it con-
tains, but incidentally it must cool before going into the ear
or it will cause acute pain. The inner part of the organ of
hearing is extremely sensitive, either to heat or cold, a fact
always to be remembered when applications of any kind are
used.
Where in former days in case of earache hot water bags
and other heating applications were used, ice bags are now
put on by advice of specialists. The present theory is to
scatter the trouble by cold instead of causing it to come to a
head by means of heat. But when an ice bag is used with-
out the advice of a specialist the sufferer must be most care-
fully protected from all cold, and indeed, to be safe from
draughts and changing temperature, must be put to bed.
The dropping of any liquid into the ear is no longer be-
lieved in, save under exceptional circumstances. Under this
head may come the situation of being away from profes-
sional care in the summer, when home remedies must be
resorted to or the trouble allowed to continue. In simple
cases of wax hardening in the ears it then becomes possible
to syringe the orifice twice a day with very soapy warm
174 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
water, in which there is a teaspoonful of glycerine to half a
pint of the liquid. This softens the accumulation so that it
may be removed by wrapping a piece of soft muslin over
the end of a hairpin and inserting it into the ear. Never
should anything be thrust so far into the ear of an old per-
son or a child as to cause pain.
CORRECTION FOR PROJECTING EARS
SUCH a deformity — for ears that stick far out from the
head can scarcely be termed otherwise — is one for
which there is no remedy after years of maturity are
reached. For when one advances beyond the period of early
youth the cartilage becomes hard and unyielding, and only
a surgical operation has any effect. Such treatment is ex-
pensive, and so few persons can avail themselves of its
benefits.
It is barely possible that months of bandaging might ac-
complish a reduction in the distance from the head, but of
this I am rather doubtful. If it were possible to soak the
ears so thoroughly in oil as to soften the hard substance and
at the same time hold them close to the head, the protruding
might become less. Theoretically this is undoubtedly so;
practically, I doubt if the longest course of this treatment
would be effective. It is the surgeon's knife or the continu-
ance of projecting ears.
The most annoying part of homely ears is that proper
care in youth would have kept them inconspicuous if it did
not make them pretty, and even a natural tendency to pro-
jection, if taken in time, could have been checked.
A mother cannot too soon begin to give this feature of her
baby the closest attention. If the child is laid down with the
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 175
ear turned back some slight injury is likely to be done. Baby
should never be put on a pillow until the parent or nurse
makes sure that the ear is flat and in its proper place. Any
tendency a child may have to pull its ears by taking the lobe
and drawing it down should be checked immediately.
To change the shape of a child's ears is practically impos-
sible, but, as I have said, their direction can be altered. If
a babe is born with the kind that will stick out prominently
there are aids to bring them into place. Among these there
is now a most practical cap arrangement, made of tapes.
This is tied on and the tapes are so placed as to come directly
over the ears like a lattice or cage. Then the strings are
adjusted to make sufficient pressure to affect the cartilage.
This cap can be used day or night, sleeping or waking, and
is perfectly comfortable. An outside cap may be worn
over it.
The theory of its construction is so simple that any
woman could make one, the only fault to avoid being that
the tapes should not be drawn so tight as to hurt, while they
must be sufficiently firm to change the shape. How long the
cap must be worn depends entirely on individual cases.
Some baby's ears would become a pretty shape in a few
weeks. Even when apparently "cured," and the cap re-
moved, vigilance must not cease, for the trouble can be
brought on again at any time while growth of the body is in
progress. At the slightest indication of this the cap should
be resorted to. ♦
This head arrangement may be used at night by girls and
boys of any age, up to seventeen or eighteen years. With
them, because the cartilage is less soft, the tapes should be
thoroughly rubbed with vaseline to aid in softening.
CHAPTER XVI
NOSES
TO CURE CHRONIC REDNESS OF NOSE
WHEN redness has become chronic a strong lotion
may be essential, and if so, apply one made from
four grams each of precipitate of sulphur, pure
glycerine, precipitated chalk, cherry laurel water and recti-
fied alcohol.
This is suited to the cheeks when defective criculation
causes the blood to settle permanently in the region of the
nose.
Indigestion, as a rule, is one of the causes of the trouble.
In such a case bicarbonate of soda taken after meals becomes
valuable, the dose being half a teaspoonful to half a glass
of water. This corrects acidity.
Stimulants of all kinds must be avoided, for they hasten
heart action and are likely to make the face flush.
Tonics to be taken internally should be prescribed by a
physician. Logically iron is one, and phosphates also. But
the kind and quantity must be regulated by a professional.
In using any of the lotions suggested, their action upon
the skin must be carefully noted. Should they cause the
slightest tendency to peeling, it may be necessary to omit
them for a few days, but a slight application of cold cream,
rubbing it off gently at once, if desired, will usually offset
such an effect.
176
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 177
SIMPLE REMEDIES FOR RED NOSES
A RED nose is a most unpleasant affliction, usually
caused by defective digestion or an impoverished
condition of the system, as well as sluggish circu-
lation.
put indigestion, because it materially affects the circula-
tion, may alone be the root of the trouble. And to cure it
many persons diet.
But such treatment is a mistake, for instead of starving,
those so afflicted should eat all the nourishing food they can
take.
Such foods must, however, be plain. Some persons will
find that the best method of taking nourishment is to eat a
little every two hours. It is not difficult to decide about this,
for when nourishment is required every few hours, it is
likely to make itself known by the face becoming red when
the stomach is empty. The instant this condition occurs
some substance, even hot water, must be taken. If hot milk
is drunk it will be beneficial.
Beef, mutton, plenty of fresh green vegetables and a small
supply of sugar such as is contained in simple desserts,
should compose the diet.
Exercise out of doors, is to be regardede as part of the
cure. Walking rapidly is one of the best ways of getting
exercise, but if the pace is slow no benefit will be derived.
Should office work prevent a girl from being out of doors
through the day, she may get some good from calisthenic
exercise in her room, morning and night. When doing
these movements the window must be open to let in plenty of
178 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
fresh air. Then, first filling the lungs by inhaling through
the nostrils, put both hands on the shouldres, clench
the fists tight and throw them hard, first out in front and
then at the sides, at arm's length. The chest must be held
out and respiration must be deep while exercising in this
way.
Variation is given to the work by making the arms rigid
except where they bend at the elbows, then, with fists again
clenched, let the lower arm be raised as though dragging up
a weight. The work may begin by taking five deep breaths,
always inhaling through the nostrils. If this method of de-
velopment is gone through with twice a day, the number of
times morning and night may be increased as the lungs and
body grow stronger.
There are external applications to be applied locally
when the nose is red, but I believe more in the efficacy of
proper diet and exercise.
Tea and coffee, both because they are hot and stimulating,
should not be drunk, and of course alcoholics, including beer,
must be excluded. The face must be washed in tepid water,
for that which is either hot or cold has a bad effect.
It will take weeks to get rid of color in the nose, but if the
regimen laid down is followed some benefit will be derived.
CHAPTER XVII
TEETH
TOOTH POWDER
Precipitated chalk, seven drams; powdered camphor, one-half
dram; powdered orris root, one dram.
Mix by sifting several times through coarse muslin.
BLEACHING TOOTH POWDERS
IT is possible to use tooth powder that is too active to
benefit the teeth, because of the strong bleaching in-
gredient contained. Consequently, it is better to select
a mild lotion that does less whitening yet is not injurious.
One of the simplest and best powders has precipitated
chalk as a basis. Indeed, this chalk is the foundation of
almost all such cleansers, and may be used full strength at
night and left on. In powder combination three and a.half
drams are put with a quarter of a dram of powdered cam-
phor and half a dram of powdered orris root. Sifting
many times is required to mix this combination. This is
not saponaceous, but it can be made so by the addition of
half a dram of powdered castile soap.
Bicarbonate of soda is invaluable as a tooth cleanser. It
counteracts the acidity which is so deleterious to enamel,
and it may be used every night, applying with a brush, as
one would a powder. Once a day is sufficient to use this
rinse, although it should be applied after eating acids or
sweets. Than this there is no better, simpler way of pre-
serving the teeth.
179
180 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
When the gums are tender, and bleed after brushing,
a powder made from half an ounce of precipitated chalk,
a quarter of an ounce of borax, an eighth of an ounce of
powdered myrrh and orris root is excellent.
A strong bleaching powder, and one that should not be
used oftner than once in two weeks ,is made from half an
ounce of pumice stone in impalpable powder, a quarter of
an ounce each of bicarbonate of soda and powdered talc
and three drops of oil of lavender. The powder is worked
into the oil, sifting many times, and forcing through the
lumps.
If the pumice stone is omitted the mixture can be used
daily, and is particularly good when there is an excess of
acid in the system.
Another bleach is a paste formed by mixing a teaspoonful
each of powdered castile soap and sepia in powder, with
enough strained pure honey to make a cream, putting in
three drops of oil of tea berry at the last.
Once in two weeks is sufficiently often to use this mixture.
Another preparation valuable for weak gums is made
from a dram of powdered gum mastic, one and one-half
drams of powdered gum arabic, a quarter of a dram of bal-
sam of Peru, and two and one-half ounces of orange-flower
water. After mixing, one and one-half drams of tincture
of myrrh are gradually added, shaking constantly.
A condition of the mouth to be dreaded is the tendency
of the gums to recede, leaving the- upper part of the teeth
exposed. This is by no means uncommon as age
progresses, and not infrequently makes a mouth that was
once pretty appear homely. For such a condition a denti-
frice adapted to strengthen is composed of four drops each
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 181
of oils of mint and aniseseed and three drops of oil of neroli.
It requires straining after mixing. This lotion may be
rubbed over the gums several times a day. A few drops
of it put on a brush will cleanse the teeth.
Occasionally cleansing the teeth with salt is highly com-
mended by some authorities. It is a common practice among
the Irish, as tending both to whiten and strengthen. Salt
certainly removes fruit stains, but whenever it is used the
mouth must be well rinsed afterward. Cleansing once a
week with it is sufficient.
TEETH "DONTS" TO BE REMEMBERED
ONE of the best ways of insuring the possession of good
teeth is to take care of them. This care means more
than brushing and cleansing, although the impor-
tance of these is not to be underestimated, for without either
the best of attention would be valueless.
Of the harm women unconsciously do their teeth I want
to give a few examples. For instance, how many bite thread
instead of breaking or cutting it? And though practically
every person knows this is injurious, and that by biting
fibrous substances the enamel of the teeth may be cracked
and ruined, the practice is continued.
By this statement I do not mean to imply that every time
a woman makes her jaws serve as a pair of scissors she will
crack her teeth, but there is no question of the risk of dam-
age she runs.
Cracking the enamel is not merely to make a surface
break. To fully understand this condition it is necessary to
know something of tooth structure, and when one realizes
182 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
that each tooth is a mass of sensitive soft pulp, as it were,
having a living nerve, and covered by a very hard and thin
coat called enamel, far more brittle than most ordinary sub-
stances, the dangers of cracking this exterior may assume
their natural proportions.
Unfortunately, dental enamel may become cracked with-
out a person being aware of it, and this then means that
the tooth itself may be hurt before its condition is known,
for saliva, with its acids, gets through the tiny fissure, is
absorbed by the spongy structure, and precisely what the
final result may be depends upon the original strength and
health of the tooth. In any event, a dentist's bill is in-
evitable.
What is true of biting thread is also true of biting any
hard article, with the added danger of chipping as well as
cracking the teeth. To try to break a nut between the teeth
is always to invite injury. Human teeth are comparatively
square, having a flat surface, while those of animals that
crack nuts and bones are pointed something like a wedge.
Once this difference is realized there should be no difficulty
in understanding why human beings should not use their
teeth in this way. Those in the front of the human mouth
are excessively frail, and should be carefully treated to pre-
vent chipping, etc.
The habit of eating ice is bad, not only because the frozen
liquid is hard, but because of its temperature, for extreme
cold may crack enamel by causing the tooth to expand, thus
splitting the outer shell. Extreme heat may have the same
effect by expanding the outer coat, but this is not so likely
to happen, because such a degree of warmth burns the
mouth, causing discomfort that brings its own relief. To
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 183
eat ice cream or a dish that is excessively cold, after eating
hot foods, is not uncommon, and the danger of injuring
the enamel through a rapid change from one temperature
to another is great.
To put a small piece of ice into the mouth, allowing it to
melt, cannot, ordinarily speaking, do any harm.
Hard crackers, crisp candies, and the like, should always
be broken into small bits before putting into the mouth.
Any further crushing required is then done easily by the
strong back teeth.
One of the most common forms of abuse is in allowing
deleterious pieces and acids to remain about the teeth. To
remove the injurious matter is so simple that rarely is there
excuse for not doing it. Fruits, so excellent for the system,
are frequently bad for the teeth because of acids that remain
in the mouth. Candy, by its excess of sweet, causes an
acid.
Always, after eating, the mouth should be rinsed with
lime or soda water. I prefer the latter, because it more
effectually counteracts acidity. To make this rinse it is only
necessary to keep a small jar of dry bicarbonate of soda
on the washstand, and use a teaspoonful of this in an ordi-
nary glassful of water.
Naturally, to use this mouth wash immediately after eat-
ing is not always possible, but rarely is one so placed as
not to be able to have it within several hours after dining.
Always before going to bed the mouth should be rinsed
with this solution, which prevents the formation of acids
that destroy the enamel.
To tell how frequently decay of the teeth is caused by
insufficient brushing; would be impossible. By this I do
184 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
not mean that brushing is not frequent, but that it is not
thorough, for unless all particles between the teeth are re-
moved they decompose, and act at once to injure the enamel.
Rinsing with soda water does much to prevent this condi-
tion, but what is required is a soft and pliable string that
if rubbed between the cracks in the teeth removes any ob-
struction.
Obviously, a toothpick will not do this; it will take out
the particles, but wood is unsuited to such work, and its
use is one of the not uncommon abuses. If a woman wishes
to know how a toothpick affects her teeth, let her try clean-
ing any mounted gems with one. She will find that poking
and shoving, which is precisely what one does with a tooth-
pick, will eventually loosen the stone in the prongs. In the
same manner a filling in the tooth will be affected, causing
it to leak, thus enlarging the cavity. If there is no filling,
a pick will, after a time, get the tooth into condition for it.
The ideal way for cleansing between the teeth is by the
use of dental floss, a coarse, soft silk, prepared expressly
for this purpose. It is applied by drawing a short piece to
and fro in the spaces between the teeth, thus drawing down
any obstruction. A substitute for the floss is any soft, white
embroidery silk, waxed.
The teeth should never be considered cleansed until this
process has been gone through.
TO PREVENT FRUIT STAINS INJURING TEETH
ALWAYS after eating any fruit that makes a percept-
ible stain the teeth should be rubbed or brushed with
salt, then a mouth wash should be used. If one is
so unfortunate as to be without a tooth brush at night or
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 185
in the morning, a predicament in which every one finds
herself at some time or another, rinsing with soda water
may be substituted, and will improve the condition of the
mouth. Borax water is better than nothing in such a situa-
tion, and there are few households that do not afford one
or the other, however unexpected the demand.
For constant use a dainty wash is made from a weak
preparation of cologne water. A tablespoonful to half a
mouth must be rinsed afterward to prevent damage to thfc
pint of water may be bottled. This is pleasant to use, for
the after effects are delightful.
A third wash is made from two ounces of tincture of
kino and a dram of borax. This has particularly happy re-
sults when there is any soreness of the mouth. Any one
of these should be used whenever fruit has been eaten, and
without fail, night and morning. Observation of this at
the latter time would stave off many a dentist's bill
Many persons seem not to realize that merely brushing
the teeth does not cleanse them, for the best brush ever
made, and they differ greatly in kind, cannot remove par-
ticles, either hard or soft, from the crevices of the teeth;
and the fact that such little holes remain filled is the cause
of cavities in such places.
TREATMENT FOR RECEDING GUMS
WHEN there is the slightest tendency to receding gums
precipitated chalk should be applied. After brush-
ing the teeth and rinsing them, some of the chalk
should be placed on the finger and rubbed on dry at the tops
of the teeth. It will stick, forming a protection to the
1 86 HEALTH &ND BEAUTY HINTS
enamel that will prevent any injurious action of the saliva
through the night
Tooth brushes used when gums are weak should be se-
lected with the utmost care. The bristles must not be strong
enough to cause the slightest irritation of the gums. Should
this condition occur they may recede even more. At the
same time the brush must be stout enough to polish, and
to remove particles. The best way is to find a make and
quality that suits, and then always buy the same kind.
No brush should be used longer than a month, and it is
well to employ two at the same time, using them alternately.
This insures their being dry, and is no more expensive,
because they will last double the length of time.
In using a brush it is not enough to rub across the teeth.
This merely polishes the surface. The bristles must be
rubbed up and down, down on the upper jaw to bring par-
ticles from the cracks, and up from the lower jaw, which
will lift them out. Powders used should be of the simplest.
TO PREVENT ACCUMULATION OF TARTAR ON TEETH
THOROUGHLY cleansing the teeth once a month will
do much to prevent the accumulation of tartar and
keep them white and sound. For this purpose pow-
dered pumice should be placed on every washstand, with
the definite knowledge of the harm it can do if used too
often, for applied frequently it will wear away the enamel.
There is absolutely no danger of this, however, if it is not
put on oftener than once a month.
To give this treatment properly a wooden stick like those
used on the nails is necessary, and five cents' worth of pum-
ice, powdered, is, of course, an essential. A bit of absorb-
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 187
ent cotton improves the application, and a few drops of
lemon juice are better than water.
That the work may be done to best advantage a person
should stand before a mirror. The cotton, a mere wisp,
must be twisted about the end of the stick, which is then
dipped into the lemon juice. From that it is stuck into the
pumice, and rubbed directly upon the teeth. Nothing- could
be simpler than this, yet rubbing does not always accom-
plish what it should, for the reason that it is not done cor-
rectly.
It is useless to rub the centers of the teeth, for almost
without exception they are white. It is on the edges, the
sides and tops, at the gums and next to the other teeth, that
tartar and discolorations accumulate, and so it is these places
that must be whitened. The stick, constantly put into lemon
juice and pumice, should be confined to those regions as
near the gums as can be without loosening the flesh. It
must be understood that if this cleansing is done carelessly
the gums will be loosened from their places and a diseased
condition result.
When all the teeth have been rubbed in this way a careful
rinsing must be given the mouth, as the teeth should not be
brushed immediately. Rather should a weak solution of
lime water be used, for lime counteracts the effect of acid.
When all the grains are removed a soft brush may be
applied, taking care that all cracks between the teeth are
cleansed.
Nothing will do more to prevent the accumulation of tar-
tar than the continual use of lime or soda water. The latter
may be mixed as required, a teaspoonful of the bicarbonate
to half a glass of water. After brushing the teeth at night
i8g HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
the mouth must be rinsed with either of the preparations
counteracting the effect of acid juices upon the enamel. It
may be used also in the morning.
MOUTH WASHES THAT PURIFY THE BREATH
THERE are so many different causes of offensive breath
that the remedies are well nigh endless. If the
• breath is bad because of disturbance that is local —
that is, coming from the mouth, either through the secre-
tions or from the teeth — a simple home doctoring will be
helpful; but if, after a few days, there is no improvement,
the family doctor should be asked to prescribe.
Indigestion sometimes has this most unfortunate way of
declaring itself, and in that case bicarbonate of soda may
be beneficial. The dose, as prescribed by some physicians,
is half a teaspoonful in half a glass of water, after meals.
This corrects acidity. Charcoal tablets also may be tried.
One way of making these is by mixing an ounce each of
willow charcoal and saccharine, three ounces of unsweet-
ened chocolate, and half a dram of powdered vanilla.
Enough gum arabic mucilage to make a paste is combined.
This mucilage is made by washing gum arabic in cold
water, to cleanse, and then adding as much hot water as
the gum will dissolve in. The whole, for tablets, is rolled
into a smooth leaf and cut into tablets about an inch square.
One or two of these is eaten after a meal.
A mouth wash easier to compound, and in many cases
effectual, is made from a grain of permanganate of potash
and an ounce of rosewater. This is used half a dozen times
through the day, being sure that the back teeth are rinsed
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 189
each time. In giving this wash I wish to state that it will
stain the teeth unless they are brushed thoroughly each time
after it is used. The flavor of the rinse being by no means
agreeable, it may be improved by adding a few drops of oil
of peppermint.
Another for the same purpose is made from a dram of
chlorate of potash and three ounces of rosewater.
Chlorinated lime, that enters into the composition of many
mouth washes, is injurious, for it harms the teeth. Never-
theless, under some conditions, it is recommended, but the
enamel.
These washes should be tried for only a few days. If
at the end of that time they have not acted as remedies for
the trouble they must be abandoned, for the cause is more
deeply rooted. And let it be said in passing that it is not
one which any person can afford to permit to continue if
there is any cure.
CHAPTER XVIII
FEET
HOME TREATMENT FOR SOFT CORNS
OF all trivial ailments to which any part of the body is
liable, none, not even toothache, is more painful than
soft corns. The pain, indeed, is not unlike that of a
throbbing nerve, and unless one can treat it by going to bed
for a couple of days, a luxury in which few can indulge,
relief is usually a long time in coming.
Soft corns begin, as a rule, between the toes, and some-
times are so small that they are not noticed for days. Yet
once they start, only the most constant and unremitting care
can prevent real suffering.
Prevention begins by keeping the spaces between the toes
dry and by seeing to it that there is no accumulation of old
skin. This will be entirely obviated by careful wiping after
the daily tub. An ordinary bath towel is useless for this
purpose, for it is too thick to go into the cracks, and only
the thinnest quality hand towel should be used. It is a
practical plan to save those which are old and therefore
especially soft.
On emerging from the tub all moisture must be removed
from the toes, and this can be done only with great care
and by thoroughness. To make assurance doubly sure, it
is wise to dust the feet with talcum powder.
If this method is followed daily soft corns will not de-
velop.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 191
Once they have started, a more elaborate treatment will
be needed. Of course, the same method of drying will be
observed, and powder must not be omitted. Then, in order
that there shall not be the slightest chance of friction, which
would greatly increase the pain, a slip of tissue paper must
be placed between the toes afflicted. This entirely obviates
any rubbing. An inexperienced person must not make the
mistake of placing cotton as a buffer, under the impression
that it will bring greater comfort. On the contrary, even
the tiniest patch of soft stuff is heating, and will aggra-
vate the surface. Soft paper is not heating.
Simple tincture of iodine is beneficial if applied daily to
the sore. While not a cure, it helps to prevent the accu-
mulation of hard skin.
Cutting a soft corn requires dexterity, for in formation
it is not unlike a tough blister. Unfortunately, while it may
be loosened around the edges, which detaches it almost en-
tirely, it is held in the center by a growth that goes into the
foot, and to get this out without causing blood to flow and
making soreness is almost impossible. Before cutting the
foot must be soaked to make the skin soft. Then a flat
orange-wood stick, sometimes a better implement than a
knife, must be used. Trimming must be done as soon as
the growth begins to form again.
WAYS OF REMOVING AND CURING PAINFUL CORNS
INASMUCH as the greater part of humanity is afflicted
with corns, it is well to know what may ease the pain
they cause, if not what will eradicate them. Whether
or not they come from ill-fitting shoes or neglect, is not
i92 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
especially important, because when they exist the footgear
should be changed, and any protection to the excrescence
that can must be given. Nothing will so increase the size
of and the pain from a corn as pressure, and this must be
removed at any cost.
At the beginning of this removal treatment the toes should
be thoroughly soaked in hot water so the skin will be very
soft. Then, after they are dried, the callosities should be
rubbed until they peel, and if any of the dead surface can
be cut without making a hurt it is well to eliminate it with
scissors. In this process the greatest care must be taken
that the quick or sensitive flesh is not injured and made
to bleed.
With the shops full of corn plasters it is no longer neces-
sary to make protectors at home, but I find that many per-
sons do not entirely understand the use of these buffers.
They are not to be over, but around the corn. If they touch
the growth itself they will but increase the pain, whereas
if made to fulfil their function they become a raised ring
around the sore and keep hosiery and shoes from touching
it. To accomplish this it is sometimes necessary to enlarge
the first hole in the plaster, a change that is merely a matter
of using scissors.
By either cutting or burning the callous growth will, as
a rule, disappear, but the reason that a cure is so seldom
effected is because, once the pain ceases, the remedy is
stopped, when it should be continued until there is no trace
below the surface of any growth.
A simple method that I advocate is to cut several pieces
of sticking plaster so they will have holes just the size of
the corn. These are pasted on, one above the other, serving
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 193
as a protection to the soft flesh and yet leaving the corn
exposed.
For further treatment make a saturated solution of caus-
tic soda, which means that all the caustic soda that a given
amount of water can dissolve should be used. This mix-
ture is then dropped over the corn, taking care that none
gets on the soft flesh. Over the hole paste another plaster.
This system of cure must be repeated every day for a week
or ten days, when it is probable that the corn will be gone.
The only danger in this method is that of burning the soft
flesh, but this will not happen if sufficient care is taken.
Sticking plaster, arranged as described, is better for this
purpose than regular felt corn protectors, for the latter,
being cloth, are absorbent, and the solution would be dragged
over the soft skin.
A treatment on this order is to touch the spot with nitrate
of silver, on a stick, after cutting. A corn plaster should
then be applied, and after two or three days a black, hard
skin will form. This is to be removed with a dull, anti-
septically clean knife, and the surface again touched. Two
weeks of this will usually make a cure, if the place has been
well protected.
Few persons understand the correct method of trimming
corns. It should never be forgotten that the painful part
of the growth is in the center, and not at the edge, and it
is the middle place that is thick. Therefore, in cutting, the
incision should be shallow on the outside, deepening as it
goes toward the center, making, when completed, a regular
hollow in the middle. For this it is better to have a dull
knife than a sharp one. Such trimming should not be
done until the excrescence has been softened by soaking.
I94 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
CARE TO GIVE TENDER FEET IN SUMMER
A WOMAN who has trouble with her feet in warm
weather should not wear lisle-thread stockings.
Thin and cool though they seem, they act as a pow-
erful irritant, and sometimes cause the flesh severe sensa-
tions of burning. This is due to the fact that lisle thread
is twisted tight and does not give to pressure when the
weight is thrown on the feet. Instead, it digs in, as it were,
acting precisely as a hard piece of cloth would on any other
part of the body.
Silk affects some persons in the same way. By all means
the most comfortable material is cotton, which is softer
in quality as it grows more expensive in price. But even
a coarse quality is better than a fine lisle, a fact never to be
forgotten.
As the weight of the body aggravates any smarting of
the soles, whatever device can be evolved for easing them
will lessen the trouble. Inner soles for shoes, forming a
soft depth for the feet when walking, will sometimes make
it possible to avoid the smarting sensation. Those made
of felt are not appreciably warm, and a little care of the feet
before putting on hosiery may prevent discomfort.
To rub soles, toes and insteps with cold cream I consider
most important, the bath being given every morning. Not
a deal of grease is required, only enough to prevent any
friction when the flesh touches the hose. Over the emollient
should be thickly dusted a powder, special attention being
given to spaces between the toes. Excellent for this pur-
pose is a powder made from thirteen grams of permanganate
of potassium, forty-five grams of subnitrate of bismuth,
Photo by Joel Feder, New York.
CLEANING NAILS ON FEET.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 195
sixty grams of talcum powder and two grams of salicylate
of soda. They must be sifted many times to mix. A puff
is the best agent for applying.
Soaking the feet night and morning in hot water for five
minutes at least, and longer, will do much to relieve the
burning pain. An ounce of alum to two gallons of water
will add to the efficacy. When the condition is extremely
painful a mixture that will alleviate is made from an ounce
of alum and two ounces each of rock salt and borax. A
tablespoonful is allowed to two gallons of water. This bath
should be given without fail every morning, wiping the
skin carefully afterward. A treatment then with cold cream
and a thick coating of powder will make a decided differ-
ence in comfort during the day.
Putting on fresh stockings will sometimes bring relief,
and a change of shoes is in itself soothing. Patent or var-
nished leather should never be worn in warm weather when
the feet are tender.
HOME TREATMENT FOR BROKEN ARCHES IN FEET
PERSONS with broken arches in their feet usually suffer
excruciating pain when standing. Incidentally, this
particular form of foot trouble most frequently at-
tacks those who are constantly on their feet, though women
or men who are excessively fleshy, and whose bones are too'
small to support a large increase of flesh, often have broken
arches.
Such persons may eventually be unable to walk, as each
step is so painful.
These cases require professional orthopedic care, but some-
196 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
times home treatment may prevent the trouble from grow-
ing rapidly worse. It cannot be said too emphatically, how-
ever, that if after a few days there is not positive relief no
time should be lost in having professional advice.
The trouble being caused by a "slump' ' of the arch, the
logical course is to secure a support for it. Steel arches for
the purpose are now to be found in the majority of shoe
shops. These rests are slipped under the foot, and worn
inside of the shoe, thus not increasing the size of the latter.
Each person must decide for himself the precise angle at
which the steel is to be adjusted, and this can only be ascer-
tained by stepping on the brace. The object is to get the
natural "set" of the foot and yet not raise it. Should the
arch be raised, serious damage may be done the soft bones.
Rubbing the insteps and arches night and morning may
serve to strengthen them, and certainly will relieve the pain,
which is nerve wearing. For this purpose a soothing appli-
cation is made from a gill of alcohol, one ounce each of spir-
its of ammonia and spirits of camphor, two and one-half
ounces of sea salt, and enough boiling water to make a pint
in quantity. All the ingredients must be put together in
a jar before the water is poured in. This mixture must
then be shaken thoroughly to dissolve, and the lotion must
always be shaken before using. To apply, it is rubbed in
thoroughly over the feet and ankles both morning and night.
The same lotion is excellent for all tired muscles, and is
sometimes efficacious if locally applied for rheumatism. For
the latter it would be well to heat the liquid by pouring some
into a china cup, setting the vessel containing it into a bowl
of boiling water. The lotion may be bound on with flannel
for the night.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 197
SIMPLE REMEDIES FOR CHILBLAINS
SNOW water causes chilblains more quickly than severe
cold. For melted snow has a peculiarly penetrating
quality, and for this reason it is a wise woman who
wears overshoes, even though they look disfiguring, for the
protection they give is invaluable.
Itching of the foot is usually a forerunner of this diffi-
culty, and at the first symptom there should be a thorough
application of spirits of rosemary with spirits of turpen-
tine, in the proportion of one-eighth of the entire solution.
The object of this is to restore circulation. After rubbing
thoroughly with this application, absorbent cotton wet with
spirits of camphor may be bound on the feet and left all
night. In the morning there may be another rubbing with
the rosemary lotion, but the skin must be entirely dry before
the stockings are drawn on. One cannot be too careful to
omit no particular that might promote warmth, for without
it the agony of chilblains begins.
One so affected should wear cashmere hosiery out of
doors. If woolens are uncomfortable when in warm rooms
they may be changed to cotton, but the benefit wool gives
should more than offset the trouble of extra work.
When the difficulty has fully declared itself more drastic
agents must be employed. Applications that are soothing
are highly commended when the intolerable itching and
burning begin, and for this a pomade made from five grains
of burnt alum, two grams each of iodide of potassium and
laudanum, five grams of rose pomade and three grams of
fresh lard, is excellent. The alum and potassium are min-
gled, and the fats are melted in a cup set into hot water.
198 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
The two mixtures are then combined, removing from the
heat and beating until they are creamy. This should be
constantly kept on. the sore places, covering them with thin
pieces of old linen. The laudanum makes this wash particu-
larly valuable.
A simpler lotion is composed only of resin ointment, in
the proportion of three ounces to one ounce of powdered
galls. The two are beaten together until thoroughly blend-
ed. This, like the other, is kept constantly on irritated
spots.
Neither of these should be used when the chilblains have
cracked, a condition even more painful than the first state.
In the latter case, a lotion that frequently alleviates is made
from an ounce of glycerine and twenty grains each of tinc-
tures of iodine and opium. To use this to best advantage
it should be poured on linens that are bound over the sores.
No remedies ever invented will be any good unless the
feet are kept constantly dry and warm.
TO SECURE RELIEF FROM CHILBLAINS
TWO conditions absolutely necessary for comfort to
persons afflicted with chilblains are an even tem-
perature and dryness. The former is not always
possible, but the latter is, and, once gained, local applica-
tions are greatly aided in their effect.
It is equally important, when the affliction is on the feet,
that shoes shall be sufficiently large not to interfere with
the circulation. If the latter is impeded the blood settles
in the sore places, and inflammation ensues, which greatly
increases the pain. As too great warmth will have the same
effect, I am strongly in favor of giving up button boots,
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 199
that are wanner than need be for the house, and substituting
low shoes and gaiters. "Spats" may be removed if one
is to stay indoors and the temperature of the feet is not
raised. For any change that tends to allay inflammation
and keep the surface cool, but not cold, is beneficial.
Many persons recommend painting chilblains with iodine,
but I do not like it, for by making the surface peel it keeps
the sores in a sensitive condition. As dryness is a sine
qui non to improvement, and astringents aid this, turpen-
tine is strongly advised, the liquid being applied several
times a day and allowed to dry on. An old-fashioned rem-
edy is to plunge the feet into a very strong pickle of salt
and hot water and keep them there for fifteen or twenty
minutes, having the temperature of the water always as
hot as can be endured.
Many old country persons consider this a sovereign rem-
edy, and perhaps it is. I have not tried it.
I do know, however, that there is balm in a mixture of
two tablespoonfuls of glycerine, a teaspoonful of laudanum
and a teaspoonful of iodine. This may be rubbed over the
painful parts several times a day, and a thin muslin wet
with it bound on before putting on the stocking. The
laudanum soothes severe pain.
When there is merely a tendency to such trouble, but the
extreme condition is not developed, the sore places should
be covered with soothing grease, with either tissue paper
or thin muslin used to keep the oiliness from the stockings.
This will prevent friction, and unless the feet become wet
will usually be sufficient to keep the trouble from growing
worse. Friction is dangerous, for it immediately causes
inflammation.
200 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
In taking a hot tub, a foot on which there are chilblains
should never be allowed in the water, for blood will be
drawn to the surface and inflammation at once developed.
The foot may be rested on a faucet and washed with a wet
cloth wrung out in warm but not hot water. That foot is
the first placed on the floor when leaving the tub. This act
seems trivial, but its results are important.
Rubbers must be worn when the streets are damp. Cold
moisture in the shoes will develop chilblains if there is the
slightest tendency toward them.
TO MAKE UNSHAPELY ANKLES PRETTY
EXERCISES and massage will sometimes bring shape-
liness to ankles that are naturally homely. But in
trying this beautifying method, it must be distinctly
understood that if the trouble is awkwardness as the result
of large bones, no improvement can be made, for it is only
when there is too little, or too much flesh that the shape of
the ankles can be bettered.
When reduction is to be obtained, ten minutes' work
twice a day is necessary. For this, shoes and stockings
should be removed and the knees crossed, so one foot is
raised from the floor, thereby taking any support from it.
This foot must be thrust out and moved from the ankle with
a twisting motion, then bent up and down, so all the work is
done from the ankle bone. When one foot grows tired the
exercise should be repeated with the other until the first is
rested, when it should again be moved. A slight variety is
given to these exercises by turning the feet from side to side
while standing on them — without shoes, of course.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 201
At the finish the pedal extremities should be plunged into
a hot but not uncomfortable bath, in which the water will
come above the ankles. In this tub they must stay for ten
minutes. At this point the treatment differs widely, accord-
ing as the ankles are to be reduced or flesh put on. I omitted
to state that, while the same exercises are used for either
purpose, they should be severely done when trying to make
the shape smaller, and gently when increase is desired. For
in one case flesh is pulled off, while in the other development
is essential.
As soon as the tub is finished the skin must be carefully
wiped. Then, if the ankles are to be reduced, there must be
either camphorated oil or a strong, saturated solution of
alum applied externally. The action of oil is slower, but, I
think, is better than alum, which may be too drastic. It is
possible to use both alternately.
In either case the object is to rub in the liquid while the
skin is soft and the pores open. Just as much of either
unguent as the surface can hold should be rubbed in with
hard, strong strokes, wringing off flesh, as it were, while
working in the reduction agent. Better results will be ac-
complished if first one ankle and then the other is rubbed.
During the moment when it is not being treated the skin
may absorb the liquid so more can be applied.
A finish to the treatment that may hasten desirable results
is to bind the ankles in linen that has been soaked in oil, or
a large quantity of the application may be left on while dry
bandages are tied in place. These must be smooth and
drawn close, yet not tight enough to actually stop circu-
lation.
202 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
In the morning if wished, alum may be wiped over the
flesh, letting it dry on before dressing for the day.
.When increase of flesh is the object of the treatment the
surface is rubbed gently with cod liver or sweet almond oil
and the unguent bound on lightly.
CHAPTER XIX
DEVELOPING THE FIGURE
VAUCAIRE BUST DEVELOPER
The Vaucaire bust developer, which is an old formula said to be
harmless, is made of five grains of liquid extract of imported ga=
lega, five grains of lactophosphate of lime, five grams of tincture
of fennel and 200 grams of simple syrup.
Take two soupspoonfuls in water before each meal. Drinking
malt extracts at the same time is also advised by Dr. Vaucaire.
It will probably be six weeks before a change is noticed.
EXERCISES IMPROVE FIGURE MORE THAN CORSET
THERE is no question but that latter day stays give
women's figures the lines decreed by fashion, but
they cannot make as symmetrical an effect as when
the individual is willing to do something toward improving
her figure, if it requires changing. After trying all sorts of
fads and isms experts who have given the matter attention
have come back to certain old, even time-honored, exercises
for producing symmetry, and a woman who is willing to
work as she would in a gymnasium can benefit herself with-
out using any other apparatus than that in her own room.
For example, her waist line may be reduced several inches
by exercising with a chair back. Before putting on any re-
203
204 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
stricting clothing she should sit astride a chair, facing the
back. That part of the furniture she grasps firmly, and then,
without moving, she should twist her body around one way
just as far as she can make it go before repeating the mo-
tion toward the other side. The object of this is to pull the
cords and muscles about the waist lin$ and abdomen, an
effort which moving on the seat would counteract. The
twist must be made far enough to feel a muscular pull.
It may seem a simple matter to stand on one foot, and,
raising the other by bending the knee, try to bring that knee
up to the chest when clasping it by both hands. It is simple,
too, for those who can do it, but a woman who can may be
rather sure that she has a good figure. And one who cannot,
but struggles valiantly to accomplish it, may be equally cer-
tain that her effort will be rewarded with improvement in
her shape, for if she works long enough the knee will grow
more and more limber, and her waist line begin to be beauti-
fully less.
It may seem silly to say that to raise one foot as high as is
possible will affect the size of the waist to reduce it, but such
is the case. One lies flat on the back, and straightening the
knee, lifts the foot just as high, and as far toward the head
as the muscles may be made to stretch. This is done, first
with one foot and then the other, and if followed regularly
for weeks will prove beneficial. I know a most attractive
woman of sixty-two or three years of age whose figure is
like a girl's, and who attributes it to the fact that she has
taken this exercise every morning, without fail, for twenty-
five years.
But, best of all, is it to keep the spine straight, not allow-
ing it to bow near the base, when sitting. One may lean
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 205
back in a chair and still keep the backbone at a correct line,
but this is only when the shoulders touch the chair back, the
lower part of the spine being many inches in front of the
support. No woman can have a good figure who does not
sit well, and she is more likely to lounge when sitting than
when standing or walking.
CORRECT SITTING POSTURE BEAUTIFIES FIGURE
THE ungraceful way many women sit is frequently the
cause of ungainly figures, for unless the weight is
properly poised the lower organs are thrown out of
gear and shapeliness is impossible.
To avoid ruining the figure every woman should regard
her spine as an upright post, the shoulders being a cross-
piece. And this structure she must guard so it will not
bend, for as soon as a bend is permitted the balance is de-
stroyed.
Sitting in a chair seems a simple matter, yet rarely is it
done properly. Let the woman who is reading this see, at
the moment, if she cannot push further back into the seat —
not with her shoulders, but so the end of her spine is nearer
the chair back. If she can accomplish this she will find her-
self involuntarily sitting straighter, because a kink has been
removed from her vertebrae.
In my opinion no one position does more to make or pre-
serve a good figure than to practise correct sitting for at
least five minutes three times a day. For this I would use a
chair with a straight back and get on it, leaning forward a
little and pushing back until the spine, about three inches
from the tip, feels the chair back. Then, with the shoulders
206 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
thrown back, a position is attained which is best for all pro-
portions and will soon be held unconsciously. When this is
accomplished the danger of protruding abdomen and large
hips is greatly lessened.
Besides this straight spine movement chest expansion
should be cultivated. This is difficult for an older woman,
yet worth an effort. One such exercise is to try repeatedly
to make the elbows behind the back.
The longer one tries and the more strength put into the
muscular exertion the beter will the figure become. Inci-
dentally one must take care to stand straight while exercis-
ing in this way or she will simply increase any "stooped
shoulders."
Another good and by no means difficult movement is to
straighten the arms out at the sides and without bending the
elbows, put them back as far as they can be made to go.
Deep breathing has much to do with having a good figure.
If the chest is flat and contracted, as must be if the lungs are
not filled, a woman cannot make a good appearance.
It is astonishing that, with wearing tight stays, the dia-
phragm may be expanded when the lungs are filled to the
lowest depth. That is, in spite of lacing, there is still room
for the lungs to be inflated. To breathe deeply does not
mean a large waist line, and such practice may reduce the
hip measure. The lower lungs cannot be inflated unless one
is standing correctly.
I think that each night before going to bed a woman
should try to touch the floor with her finger tips without
bending the knees. If she can accomplish this the exercise
will keep her supple and if she cannot do it she certainly
needs practice. For this movement the hands are held high
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 207
above the head and brought down with a sweeping motion,
while the knees are kept stiff. Should they bend there is no
benefit to be derived. By their remaining rigid pull is made
from the waist and hips and long and constant practice will
reduce the measurement there. The work must never be
done while wearing tight bands.
SWEEPING AND DUSTING DEVELOP FIGURE
HOUSEWORK is excellent exercise for a girl who
wishes to develop a round, pretty figure, for sweep-
ing, dusting, or even washing, if the latter is not too
heavy to strain the muscles, helps to strengthen and beautify
the body. During such work the waist muscles instead of
the shoulders should be used, as many cases of stoop shoul-
ders come from leaning, instead of making the back bend
from the hips. This attitude throws the shoulders forward
out of position, and is ruination to the figure. If, on the
contrary, when it is necessary to pick an object from the
floor, a woman will remember to lean from the waist, and try
at the same time to keep her knees from bending, she will
be going through one of the most approved exercises sug-
gested for reducing the hips and keeping the waist small.
It is not likely that the average woman could pick up a pin
without limbering the joints in her knees, but at least in the
effort she is benefited.
Sweeping is one of the best methods of rounding the arms,
as well as giving correct poise. A woman whose shoulders
are well thrown back, when she grasps the broom firmly, and
sways her whole body, with each stroke, may add grace to
208 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
her figure. Moreover, she will not easily grow tired, for she
will balance herself and thus help the shape of her hips.
I have seen many women sweep as though all the work
were being done by muscles in the lower part of the torso.
In point of fact this is a part of housework that is to be done
with the shoulders, or from them, and thus the back is de-
veloped to strengthen as well as straighten.
Few women seem to know that a constant firm grasp of
an object such as a broom or hard duster handle will round
the arms. An exercise given at gymnasiums for symmetri-
cal development of the arms consists merely in opening and
shutting the fingers around a pole, gripping it each time.
Bending over a wash tub affects the waist line and hips to
their betterment when the lean comes from the waist, and
not from the shoulders. Should it be permitted from the
latter part of the body, straightness of spine soon disappears.
The matter of standing correctly is among the simplest
acts that a woman can train herself to. It consists in raising
the chest, which at once throws the shoulders back. The
abdomen should be drawn in slightly, and the chin held up,
but not pointed out. If the chest is raised as it should be,
the rest of the body almost necessarily falls into true posi-
tion.
CHAPTER XX
TO REDUCE FLESH
DIET THAT HELPS REDUCE FLESH
TO reduce flesh patience and regularity are needed.
For, to practise the treatment spasmodically, for a
week or two, will not be sufficient to accomplish any-
marked results. But by the end of four weeks there should
be an improvement.
Rapid reduction can be gained only, as a rule, at the loss
of physical strength, and it is for this reason that I am not
in favor of hot baths and other heroic measures. They are
too likely to affect the heart, and it is far better to live regu-
larly and simply, take physical exercise in moderation, or at
least with intelligence, and let the change come gradually.
Almost any exercise that induces perspiration will take off
flesh. Turkish baths aid in the treatment, if the patient
stays long in the hot room, but it must be remembered that
such a method is not for those who have weak hearts.
In this reduction regimen all foods containing fats should
be given up. This means that only the lean parts of meat
are to be eaten, and that pork, bacon, etc., must be abolished.
Eggs and fish (except mackerel, blue and others containing
oils) are excellent. Skimmed milk is also nourishing with-
out being flesh making.
Sweets are fattening, and a person who is sincere in wish-
ing to lose flesh will eat none of them. Tea and coffee with-
209
210 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
out cream or sugar must be the rule ; fruits, except bananas,
are permissible, but no sugar should be eaten with them.
Apples and prunes are particularly desirable. No desserts
are to be considered ; thick soups are not to be taken. These,
like some vegetables, contain an element of starch, and that
is as fattening as sugar.
For the same reason, bread, as well as cake, is not to be
eaten, unless made of that flour from which the starch has
been extracted. There is such made. Gravies and sauces
of all kinds, except tomato, and not that if it is sweetened,
should be avoided.
This is not a severe cutting down of the diet, if carried
out daily. There is no occasion for being hungry, and only
where, for one reason or another, hasty reduction is impera-
tive should one go without a sufficient quantity of food.
No amount of dieting will secure the desired thinness if
physical exercise is not taken at the same time, and none is
better than walking, provided the gait is sufficiently rapid to
increase the circulation and wear down soft flesh. That the
fat is soft, when it is excessive, there is never any doubt, so
that one has but to work cords and muscles to attain the end
for which she or he is striving.
SUMMER IS IDEAL TIME TO TAKE OFF FLESH
SUMMER is an ideal time to reduce superfluous flesh, for
perspiration is conducive to loss of flesh, and the fact
that the system requires less nourishment when the ther-
mometer is high, makes it possible to eat a smaller quantity
of food without depleting the strength.
An excellent regimen to be followed for flesh reduction in
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 211
August begins with a walk in the morning. Not a pleasure
jaunt, but exercise taken for the purpose of literally pulling
off flesh. The proper costume for such a walk, with the re-
duction idea in mind, should consist of warm garments that
would not exhaust the wearer. Precisely what these are
each person must decide for herself. For what would be
enough for one might overpower another.
The walk must be taken before the sun is high, and for
that reason an hour before breakfast is a suitable period.
The walking must be done briskly, although it is not to be
expected that it will be a pace that might be adopted in
winter.
Returning from the walk, which should consume at least
half an hour, the pedestrian will need a bath for refreshment.
Now tepid tubs are, as a rule, fattening, therefore I think it
better to have a sponge instead of immersing the body. A
tablespoonful of alcohol to a basin of water will be a tonic,
and the fluid may be freely thrown over the body if the
bather stands on a mat or pad to absorb that which goes to
the floor. After a gentle drying, not a hard one, for that is
heating, fresh underwear must be put on, and the seeker for
slenderness must don a thin, cool gown.
Breakfast may be a light meal, a dish of cereal and a cup
of coffee being enough. I think oatmeal with cream is not
fattening if no other food is taken at the same time.
During the middle of the morning a glass of sassafras tea
is an excellent substitute for food, and is made by steeping
two tablespoonfuls, for half an hour, in three pints of boiling
water. It is strained when cold, and may be sweetened a
little, if desired. This is frequently used during a reduction
regimen. Water, freely drunk between meals, aids loss of
212 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
flesh, and there is no doubt but that taken with food it is
fattening. During the effort to grow thin it should be
avoided with the meals, and at least three pints taken
through the day, the first after a meal being not less than
half an hour, and before a meal the same length of time.
This allows it to be assimilated or absorbed by the stomach.
Some persons take a quarter of a teaspoonful of bicarbonate
of soda in half a glass of hot water one-half hour before
meals, but in my opinion anything of this sort should not be
taken unless prescribed by a physician.
Luncheon should be a light meal of fish and one vegetable.
Salads seasoned with French dressing is piquante, satisfying
the appetite, and is not fattening. Fruit must be eaten spar-
ingly, as it tends to make flesh.
Water freely drunk during the afternoon will prevent
pangs of hunger, and dinner may begin with a thin meat
soup, hot or cold, after which meat freed from fat, vege-
tables that are not starchy, and a little fruit for dessert may
be eaten.
More water through the evening and a glassful on going
to bed completes the course. Exercise, such as sea bathing,
if it is possible, should be taken during the day.
HOT SODA BATHS REDUCE FLESH
REDUCTION remedies are apt to be harmful, since to
take off superfluous fat rapidly means inevitably
starvation, hard work and a physical strain that few
persons can endure. Moderate reduction, that is, a cure
taken slowly, will not weaken, but then it is rarely satis-
factory.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 213
As for the extreme systems, hot baths are efficacious. To
take one, fill a tub sufficiently full to cover the body and in
the bath put four pounds of washing soda and one pound
of bicarbonate of soda. The bath is made as hot as the body
can endure, and then more hot water is added. One remains
in such a bath for about twenty-five minutes. Immediately
on leaving the water, a flannel dressing gown should be put
on, and the patient should go to bed between blankets, after
first drinking a glass of hot water. The effect, of course,
is to produce perspiration, and there is no lack of it after
such treatment. One should remain under covers, between
blankets, perspiring freely, for at least half an hour. Then
a cold or cool sponge may be taken, finishing with an alcohol
rub. The latter is important, as it closes the pores and pre-
vents taking cold.
Devoted followers of the present cult of the hipless are
wearing rubber garments next to the skin. These fit like the
epidermis, and by constantly promoting perspiration act as
reducers.
It cannot be stated too positively that I thoroughly dis-
approve of the treatment I have just given. If there is heart
trouble it might endanger life, but even in an ordinary condi-
tion of health it is too drastic. The supply of nourishment
being greatly cut off, there is not sufficient to keep up the
strength at a time when it is most needed.
CHAPTER XXI
SIMPLE REMEDIES
DIET THAT WILL IMPROVE TORPID LIVER
AS to the foods that will correct a torpid liver, fruits
such as apples, prunes, figs, dates, strawberries are
essentials of the daily fare, and plain molasses candy,
a few ounces of it after meals, is recommended by many
physicians. The fruits may be eaten at the beginning or the
end of a meal and also between times, if one wishes. Cereals
are to be avoided, also milk or cream. Poultry and beef, also
vegetable soups, are desirable on such a dietary list.
Mutton broth is among the foods to be avoided, but with
that exception thin broths are good. All green vegetables
and those that grow below ground, by which is meant roots,
are beneficial.
A cup of hot water taken as soon as waking up in the
morning is recommended by some physicians, and almost all
agree that a small dose of some laxative mineral water taken
when rising is an aid to health.
No treatment that is limited to the diet alone will show
any healthful effects unless exercises are taken in connection.
For instance, walking briskly should be regarded as medicine
and taken every day for at least an hour. Night and morn-
ing, when all tight clothing is removed, different movements
should be taken.
An excellent one to help the liver is to sit astride a chair,
214
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 215
holding the back, and then twist the body first to one side and
then the other as far around as it can go without one's mov-
ing on the seat. Should that happen, the work is useless, for
the object is to pull cords and muscles in the abdominal re-
gion. Another movement is to bend the body, as one stands,
as far one side and then the other as it will go, keeping the
pull on the cords and not allowing the thighs to move.
Bending forward in the same way is also good.
Sitting constantly is one of the most detrimental positions
a person with a sluggish liver can take. If persons would
make a rule of standing or walking slowly for half an hour
after each meal there would be less digestive trouble.
TO REMOVE LIVER SPOTS
BROWN spots on the face are apt to make their appear-
ance in the spring of the year, when the blood is in
bad condition and the liver is torpid. This last con-
dition is largely responsible for unsightly facial blemishes,
and when they take the form of "liver" spots that organ
should be treated immediately. For instance, a cathartic
must be resorted to if the liver has been inactive. Some kind
of blood purifier should also be taken. Many persons like
sassafras tea as a purifier. It is made by steeping two table-
spoonfuls of the dried root, broken fine, in three pints of
boiling water for twenty minutes. It is drunk freely through
the day. May be sweetened if desired.
Eating pineapples is also recommended, for their juice has
a beneficial effect upon the blood and skin, and it is said that,
rubbed on the discolored skin, it will remove the blemish. I
do not vouch for this statement.
2i6 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
Great care must be taken with the diet that it shall contain
only the simplest and most nourishing food, at the same time
kinds that can be easily digested. Fresh fruits may form
part of the meals, but any highly spiced or fried dishes
should be avoided.
Exercising in the open air must be part of the daily
routine, even if it is necessary to get up earlier to accomplish
it — for nothing will produce such beneficial results as a brisk
walk, in rain or shine, for this kind of exercise produces
rapid circulation, brightens the eye, clears the skin and makes
for grace. The improvement is not to be noted in a week,
but at the end of a month a person who has done this regu-
larly will have snap and tone, not to be achieved in any other
way.
While methods directed toward improvement of the whole
system must be kept up, some external applications may be
found helpful.
In using whitening lotions there is this to be considered,
that any strong bleach may injure the skin. On the contrary,
a simple one will work so slowly that the patient may think
it is not a success and so stop it.
One of such mild bleaches is made from sixty grains of
salicylic acid and four ounces of bay rum. It is applied night
and morning with a small bit of linen and left to dry on.
After a few days the skin will roughen, when the application
must be discontinued and the place touched with oxide of
zinc ointment until it heals. If the stain is still in evidence
the lotion may be used again.
If the discoloration is not a dark one spirits of camphor
may prove beneficial. This is applied to the dark flesh sev-
eral times a day and at night, allowed to dry on. The
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 217
roughness it creates may be soothed by oxide of zinc oint-
ment.
HOT-WATER TREATMENT FOR RHEUMATISM
RHEUMATISM of the knees, that causes fleshy or el-
derly women so much trouble, will sometimes yield to
local application. There are, of course, supports of
various kinds, simple in themselves, which have merit. For
example, there is an old-fashioned "knee cap" knitted from
soft fine wool; it is flexible and shaped. Though entirely
soft, it acts as a slight brace or support, greatly alleviating
pain that is sometimes severe. Such caps are to be found in
some of the shops and various women's exchanges take or-
ders for them.
An elderly woman who suffers much in this way has a hot
water cure which she employs regularly before retiring, and
she says it gives her more relief than some of the remedies
suggested by professionals. For this water remedy a seat
is arranged near the hot water faucet in the bathroom, and
after seating herself she puts her feet in a small tub. Then a
pitcher sufficiently small for her to hold with ease is filled
with hot water. From this jug she pours a small stream
directly upon her knees, the water, of course, flowing off into
the tub. This stream is kept running unremittingly (save
when the jug must be refilled, which takes only a moment)
for fifteen or more minutes. She finds this treatment most
beneficial.
Ache and fatigue are warmed out of the joints, and she
can go to bed and to sleep quietly. There will, however, be
no benefit from such a remedy unless the water is as hot as
can be endured. With repetition the knees become accus-
218 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
timed to a high temperature, so a degree of heat that would
scald the face can be used.
Painting the joint nightly with colorless iodine is some-
times advised for rheumatism, and the application has the
merit of being easily applied and perfectly clean. The liquid
is put on with a soft camel's hair brush. After a time the
surface peels, but it causes no pain.
Turpentine, heated, is excellent for rheumatism in the
joints. This, as any other combustible, must not be heated
by direct contact with fire or on top of a stove. It should be
poured into a china cup and set into a deep vessel of boiling
water. Only four or five minutes will elapse before the
lotion should be sufficiently hot to rub on.
There is a chloroform liniment, made from time im-
memorial by all druggists, which, if rubbed in thoroughly
once a day, or night, is alleviating for rheumatism or sciatica
pains. For the latter nothing is better than to iron the pain
away.
This should be done when the patient is ready to go to
bed. To accomplish the ironing process a thick piece of
flannel is stretched smoothly over the spot affected and then
a flatiron, as hot as it can be without burning, is rubbed on.
This sends heat directly into the region affected, and some-
times one evening of such treatment will make the pain dis-
appear. To rub the spot with warm alcohol before ironing is
excellent for serious cases. After such treatment the patient
must go to bed at once or there will be danger of contracting
cold.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 219
HOME REMEDIES FOR SORE THROATS
SOME simple home remedy that will cure sore throat
should be in the medicine cupboard of every house-
keeper. Gargles are among the best of these and are
easiest to use. They are efficacious, as a rule, because many
times the trouble is entirely a surface one, due to dust and
dirt that has been breathed into the mouth.
When this is the case almost any antiseptic will remove
the trouble. Salt and water, a teaspoonful of the former to
a glass of the latter, is excellent. To gargle it the head is
thrown way back so the astringent will go far down the
throat without being swallowed. This gargle may be done
night and morning. Others, made from preparations that
are bought prepared, are used in the same way.
External applications are sometimes beneficial, but when
a throat is so sore it requires one of these it is usually wise
to call in a physician. Camphorated oil, however, will do no
harm and may ease pain when the condition is distinctly due
to cold. This oil should be thoroughly rubbed in under the
jaw and down the neck. This may be done at night, but not
in the morning.
The old-fashioned remedy of applying a cold compress is
one of the best that can be used for sore throat. To make it,
a bandage, such as a folded handkerchief, is wet in cold
water and wrung — not very dry. It is then bound around
the throat and over it entirely to cover the wet cloth a flannel
is securely pinned to keep it in place. No part of the bandage
should be left exposed or the air, striking the skin through
it, will make the cold worse.
Gargling with diluted vinegar is an old-fashioned remedy
220 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
to which many persons cling, and is undoubtedly astringent
and may ease a cold. When the throat is sore from dirt,
however, it only irritates, and things more soothing, or germ
killers, must be employed instead. A weak solution of car-
bolic acid is good; about ten drops to three gills of water.
This thoroughly disinfects the surface, or throat lining, and
aids greatly in healing.
It is always wise for a person whose throat is in bad con-
dition to keep aloof from others, for the illness is among the
most contagious, and when the system happens to be run
down a serious illness may result from a small beginning. A
child who has it not only should not %leep in the same bed
with another, but should be put into a room alone or with a
grown person. Children are peculiarly susceptible to throat
troubles and should be protected if possible.
TO PREVENT A COLD
A COLD may often be prevented by the taking of a sim-
ple cathartic, if this treatment is started when the
first symptoms appear. For by purging the liver the
system is cleansed, and thus enabled to throw off the con-
gestion.
In trying this cure it is as essential to go to bed as if taking
a purgative, for when a person is in the condition of weak-
ness that makes possible a cold he or she is susceptible to
changes of temperature and more apt to add to the conges-
tion if not carefully protected. For this reason a day spent
in bed at the inception of a cold is worth pounds of medicine
taken later, especially if the "rest" cure is reinforced by a
cathartic. I know, of course, that such giving up of all
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 221
work is not always possible, and in such a case one must do
the best she can by taking the cathartic before retiring for
the night.
On the next day only simple and easily digested foods
should be eaten, for indigestion will always aggravate a cold,
even if it is not the original cause.
In addition to these preventives, some thought must be
given to ventilating the sleeping room, for if a speedy cure
is to be effected, the air must be fresh and pure, but draught
must be avoided. It is always possible to put some kind of a
screen before an open window to keep the wind from blowing
directly upon the bed.
As a cold means that the pores of the body are closed, it
stands to reason that treatment to open them should begin
when the first symptoms are felt, and one of the best ways
to accomplish this is by a hot mustard foot bath that will
draw the blood from the head and send up the temperature
of the body. To make this bath, a tablespoonful of dry
English mustard must be put to a gallon of water. The
water should be as hot as can be endured, and the foot tub
at first must not be full, for space must be left for more and
hotter water, to be added as the first becomes cool. In this
way the skin gets accustomed to heat.
A foot bath like this should never be taken unless the
patient is going to bed immediately.
Better than a mere foot bath is to get into a tub and re-
main for fifteen or twenty minutes, increasing the tempera-
ture of water the same as for a foot tub. When leaving the
tub a warm gown should be ready to get into, and the bed
should be warmed that no chill follows. This is one of the
222 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
quickest ways of breaking a cold, for perspiration ensues
and the illness vanishes.
Hot drinks are sometimes desirable, but many times they
upset the digestion and cause nausea, a condition that only
adds to the general discomfort.
HOME REMEDIES FOR CUTS, BRUISES, ETC.
THERE are certain healing agents that every woman
should have on the family toilet table, for they will
often cure cuts and bruises in a short time. Among
these beneficial lotions is spirits of camphor. It is a strong
astringent as well as an antiseptic, so that it heals both by
cleansing and drawing the flesh together. A drop of the
liquid, applied several times a day to a cold sore, will make
it disappear in a comparatively short space of time. The
application will cause smarting, but the sting lasts only
for a few minutes. Spirits should always be put on such
a sore at night, so it will act uninterruptedly on the tissues
for hours.
Gum benzoin has many of the same properties, and for
fever blisters will act as a substitute for spirits of camphor.
It will not, like the spirits, have any efficacy for local cold
or rheumatism. Two or three drops of tincture of camphor
on a lump of sugar is said to aid in destroying a cold, the
dose not to be taken more than three times a day. Cer-
tainly, inhaling the spirits will aid in clearing the nasal pas-
sage in cold, and is refreshing for headache, both to smell
and to apply locally. For headache a teaspoonful may be
put on a cloth that is then wet in hot water and tied over
the head.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 223
Carbolic acid, if used in extreme dilution, is healing, be-
cause it is antiseptic, and by keeping an injured spot of
flesh healthy permits it to heal.
Two parts carbolic to ninety-eight parts water makes a
mouth wash that is healing to the gums. Ten drops in half
a pint of glycerine and rosewater softens the skin wonder-
fully if it is chapped. A cut should always be washed with
a weak solution of the acid, as should a bruise, if the skin
is broken.
Limewater is another simple home remedy for scratches
and sores. In eruption of an ordinary character it may
be used for bathing, the lime being soothing as well as heal-
ing. Mixed with raw egg, beaten, it forms an excellent
shampoo for the scalp wThen dandruff or soreness exists.
Zinc ointment is an inexpensive application which will
do much to allay inflammation from a sore or open bruise.
It is healing as well, and is applied in the same way as cold
cream.
The application of raw beef after a severe blow is treat-
ment that a novice can give. I do not pretend to know why
it is effective, but the fact remains that it will scatter the
blackness resulting from coagulation quicker than almost
any other remedy, and if one does not like the idea of such
a "plaster," it can be said in reply that it is more desirable
than purple spots.
As to the success of a beef plaster, a girl of six-
teen years, who thought she would play baseball with the
boys can testify, for she received a stunning blow in
the nose from the ball as it left the bat, and what happened
during the next fifteen minutes she knows but vaguely. She
is, however, aware that by night her face was the color of
224 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
indigo, and then it was an old housewife who suggested
applying raw beef. A thin slice was cut by the butcher,
places punched in it for the nose and mouth, and the mask
tied on for the night. The next morning the skin was white
in places, and after four days of this her skin had returned
to normal hue. Under ordinary conditions it would have
been a week at least before the blackness would have been
dissipated.
Butter for bruises is strongly advocated. An elderly
woman, overcome by heat, fell, striking her forehead on
the pavement. When she was helped up, and went into a
shop, blackness appeared on her head, and her sister, who
was with her, sent for butter to apply. By the time the
unguent arrived there was a swelling the size of a pigeon's
egg over one eye. This was thoroughly rubbed with butter,
the whole side of the face being treated in the same way.
By evening the swelling had almost entirely disappeared.
This may seem odd, but it is true. The butter has nothing
added to it, but is used as a salve.
Hot-water compresses are no longer to be applied to
bumps. If water is to be used, that which is ice cold is now
recommended by physicians, the theory being to prevent the
blood from settling in the bruise, a condition that heat en-
courages. Water to be used in this way should be iced, it
being well to have a basin beside the couch or chair where
the patient rests. The cloths used must be wet and renewed
frequently as their temperature goes up. This is the best
way to treat inflammation in any location when cold appli-
cations are needed.
WThen used for some hours it will effectually prevent
blackness, but it is practically no good if put on only for
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 225
an hour or more. If an accident happens late in the after-
noon the compresses should be renewed through the night —
for instance, every fifteen minutes.
REMEDIES FOR PRICKLY HEAT
DIET that does not heat the blood external applications
must be used when prickly heat effects the body and
something for whatever heats the blood will increase
the intense discomfort of this irritation. Yet, however, much
soda and subacetate of lead may be applied it will be in-
efficacious until a restricted regimen has been adopted.
Any liquid containing alcohol, in however small propor-
tion, must be discontinued. And heavy meats, such as beef,
mutton and pork, must not be touched. Rich food that is not
easily digested, by which is meant gravies, pastries, etc., are
to be banished, and in their stead fish, poultry, raw eggs,
non-starchy vegetables, fruit, except bananas, and thin soups
should be taken.
Indigestion will aggravate the irritation, and care must be
taken that the liver performs its functions.
A drink that is cooling to the blood is cream of tartar
water, which may be taken several times a day, sipping it
slowly. A small teaspoonful of the powder is put into half
a pint of cold water. Not more than three glasses of this
liquid should be taken, and these must be drunk five or six
hours apart.
In cases of extreme itching a soda bath will be a relief.
About two pounds of bicarbonate is put into a tub of tepid
water deep enough to cover the entire body. In this the
person may stay for fifteen or twenty minutes. Such a bath
226 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
should be taken not oftener than once a day. A dilute solu-
tion of subacetate of lead is also cooling. Two teaspoonfuls
are added to half a pint of water and the skin bathed fre-
quently. Vinegar and water, one-quarter of the former to
three-quarters of the latter, is also cooling.
Two other mixtures are recommended by physicians. One
is made from four ounces of limewater and one-half an
ounce of levigated calamine, well shaken and applied to the
skin with a soft muslin. The other is half an ounce each of
subnitrate of bismuth and carbonate of zinc. It must be well
mixed and dusted on thickly.
Remedies given here for elders are suitable for children
and babies, except that the skin of the latter being more
delicate the strength of the solutions must be lessened one-
half. For babies soda water should be enough, following
frequent bathings with plenty of talcum powder put on' with
a big puff. In placing garments on the baby a little care to
prevent creases should be exercised. Babies' clothes must
be kept clean, for in this way they will be saved discomfort,
which, if not prevented, frequently leads to fever and illness.
PREVENTIVES OF SKIN IRRITATIONS
UNFORTUNATE persons whose skins become irri-
tated in warm weather may use one of several sooth-
ing applications to reduce inflammation.
When the irritation, as sometimes happens, becomes sore,
oxide of zinc ointment is both cooling and healing. With
this the place is anointed constantly, washing off at intervals
to prevent dirt settling in the pores. Warm water and a
bland soap, such as Castile, should be employed, and an old,
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 227
soft bit of muslin for a mop. Drying is done with a soft
cloth and the ointment at once applied. This may be used
even on the face if applied carefully and talcum powder
dusted over lightly to prevent an appearance of grease.
When the skin is delicate and inclined to chafe from heat
talcum powder may be used profusely. For this a big, soft
puff is best for the body and the dust should be thick enough
to form a layer over the flesh. Several times a day and
always after bathing it must be put on. Any kind of powder
answers the purpose — magnesia, French chalk, arrow root,
etc. The point is to use enough.
Cream of tartar water is as cooling as soda and is mixed
in the same way. Sometimes only a combination of grease
and powder will allay severe inflammation. For instance,
carbolized vaseline, although it stings when first put on, is
particularly good for such cases, being healing as well as
soothing. Care must be taken to have the surface clean
before it is applied and then powder in large quantity may
be dusted on. Repeating these layers three or four times
will make a paste that will adhere for many hours and is
useful for the occasions when one is unable to renew the
application.
POISON IVY TREATMENT
PERSONS who spend their vacations in the country
should take with them some panacea to cure ivy
poison and to soothe the bites insects cause.
For those who have never before suffered from ivy poison
I want to describe a few of the symptoms, so remedies may
be applied as soon as they appear. One of the evidences of
this poison is a redness of the flesh; another is an irritating
228 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
itching, and when the case is a severe one there is intense
suffering and sometimes the whole body is affected. To use
on skin so poisoned this wash, given by a physician, made
from half an ounce of carbonate of zinc and two
ounces each of limewater and glycerine, is supposed to give
relief. With it the affected parts should be constantly wet.
Another mixture for severe cases is made from two drams
each of carbonate of lead and powdered arrow root, one
dram of powdered gum acacia, ten grains of hydroehlorate
of cocaine and three ounces of olive oil. This is made into
a paste and spread over the skin. The cocaine makes it par*
ticularly cooling and soothing.
One panacea for insect bites that smart is made from one
dram of beta-napthol and half a pint of alcohol or cologne.
This may be applied until the stinging stops.
Another that is sometimes easier to use is composed of one
ounce of ointment of oleate of mercury and ten grains of
camphor. This, being a paste, may be rubbed on, and will
give relief when it might not be possible to apply a liquid.
The use of strong ammonia for bites, an application that
is commended by some persons, I do not approve. It may
bring relief, but at the same time it is likely to burn the flesh
and cause additional pain. Alcohol and cologne, put on full
strength, are soothing when no more efficacious mixture can
be secured. Water is useless, unless its temperature is cold
and the affected spot can be kept constantly immersed.
Comparatively few persons know the value of bicarbonate
of soda as a cooling application. Used indefinitely it would
cause the skin to dry, but a strong solution is almost as bene-
ficial as is alcohol.
A teaspoonful to a half pint of water should be kept on
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 229
the dressing table, and such portions of the body as may be
affected by heat may be bathed constantly. If they are then
thickly dusted with talcum, or even powdered arrow root,
the relief will be instant, and though not lasting, the treat-
ment may be indefinitely repeated.
HOME CURES FOR PAINS IN HEAD
INDIGESTION, or blood pressure on the brain, is usu-
ally the cause of headache, and often such pain will
yield to simple home remedies. For instance, when the
head aches take some sort of cathartic — the kind chosen
must depend upon that best suited to the individual. As a
rule each persons knows what this is, but I find frequently
that women do not comprehend the way different laxatives
act. Aperient waters, for example, valuable as they are, do
not affect the liver, but merely the intestines, acting as a
wash. Something like castor oil or calomel is required for
the liver, and sometimes the best effect is gained by using
both the drastic purgative and an aperient water afterward.
Physicians recommend that calomel, when taken at night,
should be followed by a laxative water in the morning, the
object of the latter being to carry all calomel from the sys-
tem. Castor oil requires no afterdose.
If the liver has been torpid and one awakens in the morn-
ing with a headache a dose of an aperient may help to cure
it, for this medicine will act quickly and so may be taken
when stronger drugs for the liver might be impossible.
Immediately following such a dose a hot foot bath should
be taken, for it will aid the cure. If the pain is severe, indi-
cating unusual blood pressure, it is well to put mustard in
the bath water, a tablespoonful of the dry English variety to
230 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
a gallon of water. This helps the water to draw blood from
the head. A hot mustard foot bath is sometimes the most
soothing treatment that can be given for delirious head-
aches. If the patient is able to sit up for such treatment the
knees and tub should be covered with a blanket to keep in
the heat. If one is in bed a cover must be laid over the sheet
to protect it from being wet with water. Incidentally the
bed covers must be drawn up while the feet are in the bath.
To hasten the action of the medicine taken a glass of hot
water should be drunk about an hour after the dose.
The use of any drugs for the purpose of dulling pain
should be made only on the advice of physicians. The habit
that some women have of dosing themselves indicriminately
is reprehensible, for it may work injury to the heart or
digestion. A person who has headaches habitually should
have a physician's prescription for a cure.
Quiet, both of nerves and body, is essential when the head
aches, whether nerves or stomach be the cause of the trouble,
for only through repose can the normal condition be re-
sumed. When lying down to rest the room should be dark-
ened. Bright light has a most unfortunate effect on a suf-
ferer from nervous headache, as it makes the pain worse.
Noises are startling, and effort should be made to keep oc-
cupants of the house quiet.
A little nourishment is often necessary save in those cases
where nausea is incessant. Then the less that is taken into
the stomach the better. But when the digestive organs are
working properly and the stomach has been emptied by medi-
cine some food is required, and if warm milk agrees a small
quantity should be drunk. Tea and toast suit others. It is
by experimenting that one knows best at what is such times.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 2311
REMEDIES FOR HEADACHE CAUSED BY HEAT
WHEN nervous headaches, that are sometimes an ac-
companiment of intensely warm weather, come a
sufferer should try for a combination treatment
that is both relaxing and stimulating to the nerves. In this
method cooling the blood is not sufficient, although it is a
help. For as a rule one reason for the pain is blood pressure
on the brain, and therefore any remedy that will draw the
blood from there should aid in a cure. If one can put the
feet into a hot bath, in which there is a teaspoonful of dry
English mustard to a gallon of water, and let the extremities
remain there for fifteen minutes, the effect is usually bene-
ficial, but such treatment can only be taken by those who
stay at home.
For the one who is downtown, and may be able to snatch
only five minutes at a time, hot applications sometimes work
wonders. Witch hazel compresses are both simple and effi-
cacious. A tablespoonful of witch hazel and half a tea-
spoonful of tincture of benzoin should be put into a basin
with half a pint of water as hot as can be borne. Into this
a handkerchief or small towel is dipped until wet and is laid
hot over the forehead and eyes. As the compress cools it
should be wet again and put back for ten minutes at least,
and more if there is time.
The same mixture of benzoin and witch hazel is then put
into half a pint of soda water, and cold compresses applied
like the foregoing. The benefit of this treatment lies in the
fact that the first relaxes nerves and muscles, while the sec-
ond tones them to normal.
Drinking a cup of hot water in which there is half a tea-
2$2 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
spoonful of bicarbonate of soda will sometimes be a tremen-
dous relief when suffering from a hot weather headache.
Digestion does not always work when the thermometer is
high, and food does not assimilate, and often in such cases
bicarbonate of soda will sweeten the stomach and so the head
may cease to ache.
A trained nurse recommended frequent bathing of the
face in cold water, in which there is sweet spirits of am-
monia, when suffering with pain in the head. Half a tea-
spoonful to an ordinary basin of water is the proportion, and
in this the face is soaked, using a cloth for the purpose. It
is tremendously refreshing and is not harmful to the com-
plexion. Indeed, to those who suffer from abnormal greasi-
ness in summer, it will act as an astringent.
A cold cloth at the base of the brain is another simple
method of relief. The compress should be folded and laid
across the neck, changing it as soon as the chill leaves. The
same kind of an application may be made on the wrists.
CURE FOR WEAK NERVES
WHEN a girl finds herself on the verge of a nervous
and physical collapse from overwork or worry,
there are precisely two remedies, eating and sleep-
ing. None others could be quite so difficult. I know, and
it is probable that either will suggest boredom, and she will
declare that food is unnecessary. If she is so fortunate as
to live with some person who can oblige her to eat, the col-
lapse will be of shorter duration. For it is a fact, however
prosaic and material, that the more nourishing the food
taken into the stomach, and assimilated properly, the sooner
will strength return to overcome nervousness and weakness.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 233
Physical and nervous conditions are so closely interwoven
that a layman can never tell where one stops and the other
begins, and sometimes even a physician is puzzled. But all
agree that to build up the physical portion is essential.
When a person has no appetite, and the actual eating is
an effort, she can be properly nourished on liquid foods. A
glass of milk, in which two raw eggs have been shaken, is a
good meal. The liquid should be poured through a fine
strainer and may be sweetened and flavored to taste.
A girl who cannot eat breakfast and must go to work
may be given this just before she starts downtown. It will
keep her nourished until the middle of the morning, and by
that time she will require more food. One woman who is
doing much brain work, and whose physical condition is not
healthy, begins every morning with one of these drinks, and
carries six raw eggs to take during the clay. At
eleven o'clock she takes three of the eggs in the simplest
way, by breaking them into a shallow drinking glass. Into
the glass she first squeezes several drops of lemon juice.
Then the egg shell is broken and the egg dropped in whole.
On top of this she put five more drops of lemon, and the egg
is swallowed quickly. All three are fixed, one after the
other. They may be taken in less than three minutes.
Luncheon may be a light meal. For instance, a piece of
roast beef and some mashed potato are highly desirable.
During the middle of the afternoon the other three eggs
should be taken, and unless dinner is eaten at six o'clock, a
glass of milk should be drunk. Sometimes vichy is added to
milk to make it palatable for persons who do not like it.
Whether it is distasteful or not has nothing to do with the
234 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
case in nervous collapsing, for milk must be taken, and so
may be regarded as medicine. If it positively disagrees,
eggs may be substituted. Fourteen a day are none too many
if little solid food is eaten.
As for sleep, it is necessary if any progress is made.
Drugs are not to be resorted to until all other means have
failed, and then a physician must be called in.
Sometimes a hot bath, taken before getting into bed, will
relax the nerves wonderfully. Then in the sleeping room
there must be plenty of fresh air, though not a draught.
HOT WATER IS PANACEA FOR ILLS
HOT water is such an invaluable panacea for ills that if
one lives in a house, and not an apartment, some
means whereby the supply can be secured at night,
if necessary, should be devised.
If the house is wired for electricity a little heater that can
be attached to the wire is best. Gas ranges are innumerable,
and there are kerosene lamps that will be useful. Alcohol,
since the denatured quality has been put on the market, is
not expensive as fuel.
To relieve aching feet, after a long day's work, hot water
should be used. For such a bath five or six gallons should
be put into a small tub, adding a quarter of an ounce of alum
to a gallon and a big handful of salt for the whole amount.
Into this the feet must be placed, adding more hot water, of
higher temperature, as the skin becomes accustomed to the
heat.
A cup of hot water drunk on arising sometimes has the
most beneficial effect upon the digestion, especially if a pinch
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 235
of powdered charcoal is added. It acts as a rinse. A cup
of hot water after meals, when there is indigestion, is or-
dered by some physicians, and taken between meals, when
the digestion is not strong, is a gentle tonic that acts re-
freshingly on the nerves of the stomach.
Water so hot as almost to cause pain will draw inflamma-
tion from the eyelids. Small flannel cloths should be wet
with it, and to get the best results it is better to lie down so
the compresses will cling to the surface. Two sets should
be in use, putting on one as soon as the first becomes cool.
Five or ten minutes of this will be most gratifying .
The veriest tyro knows, I fancy, that a rubber bag filled
with hot water is indeed a panacea if applied locally in cases
of pain in the stomach or intestines. The bags cost so little
now they are within the reach of all, and every household
should have at least one.
Hot baths will break up colds if one is willing to go
through the discomfort attendant upon such treatment. For
this process one gets into a tub in which the water is at a
comfortable temperature, but from then until getting out
more water of a higher temperature is constantly added.
When leaving the water one goes immediately to bed, piling
on blankets and lying between two. To drink a glass of hot
lemonade increases the tendency to open the pores, and by
the next day the cold should be gone. One must always go
to bed after a hot bath, for the body is then most susceptible
to cold.
236 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
HEALTH DRINKS THAT PURIFY THE BLOOD
IN the spring season sulphur and molasses — an old blood
purifying remedy — is taken by many persons.
For this tonic the formula consists of a paste of sul-
phur and molasses, cream of tartar to the amount of a pinch
being added to each teaspoonful of the mixture. The dose
from time immemorial has been a teaspoonful every morn-
ing for three days ; then three days are omitted, and another
three doses, on three more consecutive days are taken. Then
comes another halting space for three days and a final dose
the next three, making nine in all. By that time the faithful
patient is usually quite willing to wait until another season
before taking more. There will be no harm in repeating
the routine, however.
Spearmint tea is a drink which our grandmothers believed
in as being excellent for the blood, and they made it by
steeping two tablespoonfuls of the dried grass in three pints
of water. They regarded it as both nourishing and purify-
ing to the blood and drank it at any time through the day.
This is pre-eminently the time when fresh green vege-
tables should be eaten, even if it is necessary to give up some
other article of diet for them. The system craves just the
properties they contain and the blood and complexion will
be much better if spinach, greens of any other kind, string
beans and the like are eaten once and preferably twice a day.
Fresh salads should be considered a daily necessity. Let-
tuce, with oil and vinegar, is wholesome, but not more than
other fresh leaves. Apples, both baked and raw, will be
effective, as well as tomatoes, the system requiring acid to
an unusual degree for several months now.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 237
Cream of tartar is a drink that is helpful at this season,
for, like spearmint tea, it is supposed to be purifying and
also cooling, the latter fact making it especially liked in
warm weather. To prepare it one-half of a teaspoonful of
cream of tartar is used to one-half of a pint of water. This
beverage must be sipped slowly. Sassafras tea is another
drink, though this is credited with being nourishing and
taking the place of food. It is ordered in obesity cures some-
times. To prepare take two tablespoonful of the dried herb,
steep in three pints of boiling water for half an hour, then
strain and sweeten slightly. It must be drunk freely through
the day.
EXERCISES THAT MAY PREVENT INDIGESTION
WHILE discretion in diet is an aid to digestion, it is
through exercise that most benefit is derived, for
in this way acid conditions of the system are
worked off, and those persons who are troubled with facial
eruptions at the slightest trace of indigestion may thus avoid
them.
Understanding that only easily digested food shall be
eaten for a week or ten days when one has an attack of stom-
ach trouble, the kind of exercise that is best suited to the
condition must be taken up. While on the subject of food,
however, let me state that a woman need not think she has
escaped complexion disfigurements sinmply because pimples
do not appear within three or four days. It may take a week
for the internal trouble to show itself in that fashion, which
means that there are also several days of grace at the begin-
ning in which prevention may be exercised.
238 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
One of the first remedies I would advise is that no liquid
shall be taken with the meals for a week at least. If at the
end of that time the habit of going without it has been
formed, so much the better. In any case, half an hour after
each meal a glass of cold, though not iced, water should be
drunk, and it would be well to walk during the next half
hour. To have this exercise out of doors is an excellent
tonic, but if home duties make that impossible, doing house-
work will answer the purpose. Nothing that necessitates
bending over should be done, however, for the position con-
tracts the stomach, preventing digestion.
Three pints of water must be drunk between the time of
getting up in the morning and going to bed. If there is
indigestion after eating, a cupful of hot water may be taken,
sipping it slowly.
After rising in the morning, and before putting on any
tight clothing, some deep breathing exercises should be
taken. With the head held up and the lips closed, fresh air
must be inhaled until the whole diaphragm expands, exhal-
ing being done through the lips. This is repeated as many
times as can be without feeling a pronounced sensation of
dizziness. It is imperative that the figure shall be erect.
Following this, a person may sit astride a chair, facing
the back, and then, holding the chair to give firmness, the
body must be twisted around first one way and then the
other, which will exercise the lower organs, stimulating
them to do their work. The body must not move in the
seat or the exercise will be worthless.
This may be done for five minutes night and morning,
each twist being a pull on the lower part of the body in the
abdomen.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 239
This is one of the best exercises that can be taken at any-
time for indigestion, but must never be done when tight
clothing is worn.
TREATMENT FOR FEVER BLISTERS
SPIRITS of camphor is a curative application that bene-
fits cracks or fever blisters. By itself it quickly be-
comes irritating, but after washing the surface with
alum solution it is effective applied to the raw place. Over
it should be a light coating of any grease which serves to
prevent the camphor from drying the sensitive surrounding
flesh.
When a fever blister is fully developed permanganate
of potash may be used. A grain of this is dissolved in a
tablespoonful of rosewater, the sore being constantly anoint-
eq! with the liquid. It is afterward wiped each time with
French chalk, powdered, doing this dextrously to conceal
the raw spot rather than to make it conspicuous. An ex-
cellent quality of this application is that it bleaches the skin,
preventing a continued redness after the sore is healed.
Many times, fever blisters could be prevented if grease
were applied as soon as the inflammation becomes apparent.
It is a mistake to allow such irritation to continue when
any cold cream will prevent it.
CURE FOR CRACKS IN LIPS
OBSERVATION and experience lead me to believe that
the best way of treating cracks in the lips, that some-
times make their appearance in cold weather, is by
astringents instead of grease. Many persons use cold cream
24o HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
or camphor ice at the first sign of such trouble, but they are
not as quickly efficacious as is spirits of camphor, for in-
stance.
Creams and greases keep the sore place soft, and while
they undoubtedly allay the pain they do not aid in healing.
Any lotion that keeps air from the raw spot relieves, but
does not cure. But an astringent, by drying the surface,
helps a scab, a natural protection to form, so healing goes
on more rapidly.
When afflicted with a deep crack, like a cut in the middle
of the lower lip, constant treatment with spirits of camphor
is beneficial. If out of doors all morning, a tiny phial of
the spirits should be carried, so it can be put on the sur-
face frequently. It feels like hot shot for a second, but
the sting soon passes away. The spirits should be put on
night and morning also. Camphor ice will act in the same
way, but much more slowly, and at the same time it is more
in evidence when applied.
Tincture of benzoin may be applied in precisely the same
way. If it be strong enough to cause an uncomfortable
sensation of "drawing," it may be diluted with a few drops
of glycerine, using little of the latter, for it neutralizes the
astringent.
Another pleasant and healing application is made by a
solution of one grain of permanganate of potash in a table-
spoonful of clear rosewater. While this is wet on the sur-
face French chalk should be dusted on.
It is always well to wash any sore spot with a weak solu-
tion of boracic acid before applying the astringent. The
object of the acid is thoroughly to cleanse the place.
There is littel doubt that continued cracks of the lips
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 241
indicate a thin condition of the blood, and a physical state
that is below par. Tonics containing phosphates are usu-
ally prescribed, and iron may be taken. This, of course,
is a matter for physicians to decide, and one should certainly
be consulted when the lips cannot be healed.
Those little sore spots that sometimes stay so long in the
corner of the mouth may come from the stomach, and fre-
quent applications of bicarbonate of soda may cure them.
TO CURE HABIT OF BITING LIPS
BITING the lips, a form nervousness sometimes takes,
is scarcely less disfiguring than biting the nails, and
is far more difficult to cure; for when the thin skin
is broken through a rawness that often amounts to a sore
develops. In cold weather such an abrasion is particularly
difficult to heal, though a combination of camphor and vase-
line is excellent for such a sore, as the astringent dries the
surface quickly to form a natural protection, while the little
grease in the lotion allays the inflammation. If the lips
are treated to a coating of both of these, taking care that
the camphor does not touch the sound skin, the process of
healing may be greatly expedited.
One of the unfortunate features in connection with bit-
ing one's lips is that the surface roughness quickly made
is an almost irresistible bait upon which the teeth uncon-
sciously work, and it is absolutely imperative this habit be
controlled, or no amount of healing applications will benefit.
Some of the same methods may be applied that are used
to break the custom of biting the nails. For instance, if
one has the courage to rub the outer edge of the lips with
242 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
a few drops of aloes, or a few grains of red pepper, the
resulting action upon the tongue will be a forcible reminder
the next time one starts to bite the lips.
Before going into the cold air the sore spots should be
given some sort of protection, such as a drop of spirits of
camphor, mixed with a little vaseline. Incidentally, it is
excellent to carry a little stick of lip salve to apply to the
sore as soon as any inflammation is felt. Should the smart-
ing and burning be allowed to continue it greatly empha-
sizes the trouble.
A good salve is made from a teaspoonful of any cold
cream and a little melted white wax in which some car-
mine has been stirred. For instance, take half a teaspoon-
ful of wax and a grain of carmine, blending the two. Al-
though the wax is liquified, it must not be allowed to become
hot, or it will never harden. This, when cool, but still liquid,
may be stirred into the cream, which, when firm, will be
harder than in its original state.
If wished, ten drops of spirits of camphor may be put
into the wax, increasing its healing effect.
ABOUT REMOVING WARTS
THE only reason that the appearance of warts need not
be a cause for despair is that they frequently disap-
pear as oddly as they develop. And it is this cheer-
ing thought that should inspire a person when all remedies
fail, for if the truth be known, an application that at one time
works wonders at another will be useless. When these ex-
crescences are on the hands there are many different agents
that may be tried for their removal, but should they be on
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 243
the face or neck the treatment must be different, and experi-
ments should not be made.
Indeed, I go so far as to say that no amateur should make
such an attempt, for a scar is almost inevitable should suc-
cess crown the effort. A similar scar on the hands is incon-
spicuous and cannot be a source of mortification, but on the
face the aftermath may be worse than the wart. Therefore
the services of a professional should be called when such a
growth is to be taken off.
There is no doubt that the development of many warts at
a time is a disease of the blood for which internal remedies
must be employed that can only be given by a physician.
One should be consulted as soon as these growths appear,
for if the trouble becomes firmly rooted it is more difficult to
dissipate. That the disfigurement in such instances is seri-
ous there is no doubt.
Colorless iodine will sometimes remove warts. To use it
the spot must be touched morning and night. This applica-
tion may, after several days, make the roughness peel. It
will not have any effect if the trouble is deep seated. In the
latter case caustic becomes one of the best agents; it is
rubbed evenly over the skin to be removed. It is disfiguring
at the time, as it turns the surface black.
Before applyirg caustic the protruberance should be
trimmed close to the soft skin with a sharp knife that has
been antiseptically cleaned, either by dipping in alcohol or
boiling water. The wart should not be cut so it will bleed.
Caustic is bought in small sticks in wooden tubes at any
drug shop. The point is that caustic burns and that it eats
away skin with which it comes in contact.
Should it be rubbed over proud flesh the result will be a
244 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
sore spot. Every other day, or as soon as the blackness
shows the least signs of wearing off, more caustic must be
put on. This method is tedious, but if faithfully followed
frequently cures.
A mistake made by inexperienced persons is to stop its
use as soon as the wart is reduced to the level of the surface.
In such cases the roots are left and the excrescence is soon
flourishing anew. The pencil must finally be put in below
the outer skin level and the roots worked over until they,
too, are gone.
Nitrate of silver is used in the same way. A wart should
never be allowed to grow large or it will spread, and constant
cutting discourages it
CHAPTER XXII
MISCELLANEOUS
HOW TO ACQUIRE A SOFT SPEAKING VOICE
INSTEAD of striving for a pure, sweet speaking tone,
with the throat muscles relaxed and the jaws held in an
easy position, as for singing, most women contract
their vocal cords and hold their jaws stiff, with the result
that their tones are nasal or throaty and, almost without
exception, shrill.
To remedy these vocal defects, that are accentuated un-
doubtedly by climatic conditions, a woman must make a
determined effort to bring out her words in full, clear and
soft tones.
Unfortunately, most women, being nervous, pitch their
voices too high. If one has a doubt of this statement let one
listen to a woman who is speaking rapidly and excitedly.
Her tones, as a rule, go higher and higher, until, as a small
child said to her mother, there seems danger of the voice
"getting tangled in the roots of her hair."
Next to lowering the speaking tones a woman should
strive to make her voice pleasant.
Of the powerful volume of a low pitched voice one of the
most stirking instances that I ever heard was on the stage
when an actress called some one behind the scenes. The first
time she spoke there came no answer. Then the actress
called again, still in a low pitched tone, but the noticeable
245
246 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
increase of volume made it carry to the very back of the
theatre and brought the answer, supposed to be from a per-
son some distance away. Those two calls were lessons in
voice to any person who cares about the matter, and illus-
trated that the second greater tone was obtained merely by
throwing out the breath precisely as a singer would do. The
tone came from the chest, not from the throat — too often the
seat of conversational tones.
A person can experiment in the use of volume in the sub-
way and will find it easier to talk below the noise than
through it; that is, a full tone will carry through the rattle
more easily than a high, shrill one.
As an exemplification of this fact, the woman who raises
and strains her voice to make it heard above the noise should
remember that it exhausts her, while one who conserves her
energy and makes her tones full will not be in the least
fatigued.
As for the "don'ts," remember these : Don't contract the
throat when speaking. Try to keep it free, the cords flexible
and easy to manage. Don't forget that it is worth practis-
ing in the privacy of one's room to learn the natural register,
the tones in which the voice works best.
By these exercises there is not the slightest danger of
becoming declamatory. A declamatory style of conversa-
tion is a horror, but much will be gained if one tries the ex-
periment of making a tone reach to the next room without
raising the pitch of the voice. This means deep breathing,
chest expansion and head held erect. Without these three it
is impossible to have a good speaking voice — a fact worth
remembering.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 247
TO CULTIVATE A GRACEFUL WALK
TO walk gracefully the ball of the foot must be put
down first and the toes pointed out. This angle
makes it possible to "step away," in the sense of
lightness.
More ankle action is required to walk correctly than is
realized by many persons, for unless that joint moves easily
the gait inevitably is flat footed, as the whole sole comes in
contact simultaneously with the floor, giving a heavy and
lumbering movement highly suggestive of "rolling."
It is to be understood that unless the shoulders are well
thrown back and the chest expanded a graceful walk is im-
possible, so it is necessary to properly distribute the weight
to make a correct balance, and this is done only by holding
the shoulders in position and not permitting the lower part
of the torso to be unduly prominent. The spine must be
straight, yet a lean forward, so slight as not to be perceptible,
is essential, otherwise the abdomen is incorrectly placed.
The lean is not from the shoulders or waist, but from the
hips, and the shoulders, thrown back, counterbalance any
tendency to tip forward.
Remembering the importance of holding the body cor-
rectly, attention may be given to the feet, and should there
be a sensation of awkwardness in trying to place the foot so
the ball is first to touch\ the ground, some ankle exercise
should be practised. One of these is to cross the feet, so
that one is entirely removed from the floor, and twist it for-
ward, back and around, being certain that the work is done
from the ankle joint and not from the knee. It should be
needless to add that no boots or shoes are to be worn while
doing this work. Another movement is to point the foot
248 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
making as straight a line as may be from ankle
to toe. While in that position the toe is moved in semi-
circular form as far around as it can go without being
painful.
When stiffness of the joints makes the exercise painful
relief may be secured by first rubbing the ankles with a mix-
ture of one ounce of rosewater, a gill of white brandy, four
ounces of mutton tallow, two ounces of olive oil, one and
one-half ounces of virgin wax and half of one grain of musk.
The wax and tallow are melted in a cup set into a pan of
hot water, and as they soften the oil is added. The cup is
removed from heat and the brandy and rosewater, already
mixed, are slowly poured in, beating all the time. The musk
goes in last.
Shoes naturally effect the gait and it is a mistake to think
that high heels are necessarily injurious. When a woman
has an arched instep she has more support from heels of that
kind than from flat ones and walking becomes much easier,
but a flat-footed person wearing high heels cannot help
awkwardness.
HOW UNATTRACTIVE MOUTHS MAY BE BEAUTIFIED
THE one feature a girl can make or mar is her mouth.
Noses, ears and eyes cannot be changed, but a little
care will often make an unattractive mouth look
pretty, and inasmuch as the lips are distinctive in the general
effect of the face it is worth while trying to improve them.
For this remodelling process the best aids for a girl are
to sit before a looking glass and study her mouth. One that
droops will give the effect of peevishness or discontent. If
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 249
the corners are tight the expression is that of disapproval, if
not of disagreeableness. The only way in which the best
aspect is obtained is by getting an upward curve at the cor-
ners, and it is for this one must strive.
A girl of my acquaintance has a quaint trick of putting a
forefinger at either corner of her mouth and lifting it, when
she is in the privacy of her room. She holds it in this fash-
ion in an effort to train the muscles, and it is probable that
she helps the cure. Better than the lifting method would
be to try constantly to smile — not to grin, like a Cheshire
cat, but to look pleasant rather than unpleasant. Constant
observation of this great law to "look pleasant" will bring a
certain attractiveness to even the plainest face, so it will pay
a girl to remember this suggestion.
It is a fact that women who think kind thoughts and do
good deeds are a great deal more attractive than those who
think only of themselves. The face reflects the mind far
more than many girls realize, and in a matter of looks one
cannot afford to be disagreeable.
Unselfishness, kindness and thoughtfulness make a plain
face beautiful, and years do not detract from its charm.
SUGGESTIONS FOR KEEPING WARM IN WINTER
KEEPING warm in cold weather is more than a matter
of wearing heavy clothing, for the circulation must
be normal and the body properly nourished or furs
piled on will be useless.
When the circulation is defective, so the blood does not
flow freely, it is imperative that flannel shall be worn next
the skin. The material practically generates heat, and after-
250 HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS
ward holds it, as cotton cannot. Also, clothing worn next
the body should be close fitting, that no heat shall escape. It
is this quality of clinging that makes all jersey fitting under-
wear so much warmer than any other style.
As sluggish flow of blood necessarily means cold, some
exercise that will stimulate should be taken when getting out
of bed in the morning. A few garments must be put on in
order to maintain a higher temperature of the body, and
then some simple calisthenics become of value. As, for in-
stance, doubling the fists and throwing out the arms, first in
front and then at the sides, next raising them high above the
head, will help if the movements are made with sufficient
force. Making a vigorous kicking motion will increase the
blood action of the lower parts of the body.
Dressing should be done in a warm room, and it is well to
drink a cup of hot water as soon as one rises. Hot milk is
better, for it nourishes as well as warms. By the time one
is ready for breakfast the circulation should be in a condition
to improve, and there will be no sense of chill.
It is always wise to drink something hot before going into
the cold when one's vitality is low. Hot milk is the best
liquid that may be selected, as it Has a soothing effect upon
the nerves of the stomacH, and incidentally nourishes the
body. Hot water is also excellent, for the inner heat helps
to keep out cold. To take a cold 3rmk before going out in
winter is an unwise action that a delicate person cannot in-
dulge in, for it makes an immediate drain on the vitality.
Certain foods are heat producing and should be selected
as the diet for a person who Has sluggish circulation.
Among these is fresH pork, thoroughly cooked. It is valu-
able, being full of fats. Beef, of course, is desirable. So is
HEALTH AND BEAUTY HINTS 251
mutton. Potatoes and a moderate amount of simple sweets
should be included, and malt in any form is excellent. Cocoa
is among the best drinks that can be chosen, and if not too
rich is not difficult to digest. It may be taken between meals,
as well as with them.
Woollen gloves are by no means as warm in effect as
many persons think. One of the best ways of protecting the
hands in bitter weather is to wear leather gloves, such as
those of dogskin, and pull wool over them. The combina-
tion is as good as any muff and sometimes more convenient.
INDEX
ARMS
Beautifying, by exercise to 78-80
Elbows, cures for rough 76-77
Redness, treatment for 80
Thin arms, to improve 77-78
BATHS
Cleansing preparation 149-150
Cold baths 144
— Sponge 145
Hot baths for insomnia 150-152
Lukewarm bath 152-153
Nervous system, temperature
must not shock 154-155
Perspiration cleanses system... 156-157
— To regulate flow of 157-159
Plunge 144
Salt rub 153
Shower bath 144,149
Sponge baths 147-148
Turkish bath 145-147
Warm baths 145
BLEACHES AND DYES
Bleached hair, to restore to
original shade 56-57
Creams, recipes for bleaching. . 46-48
Dyed hair, to restore to origi-
nal shade 56-57
Face, bleaches for red 48-49
Frequency for coloring 54
Golden hair, bleaches for 54-55
— Paste for 55
Gray hair, black dyes for 52-53
— Brown dyes for 53-54
Mordant, how to use 54
Neck, bleaches for 49-52
Sunburn, bleach for 45
Tan, bleach for 45
COMPLEXION
Beautify, to 93-95
Blackheads, recipe to cure 83
— Treatment for 84
Brush, to use a complexion.... 88-89
Clear, brisk walk in rain to.... 98-99
— Physical exercises to 95-96
Eruptions, to prevent 92-93
Freckle lotion— Recipe for 89
— To prevent 89-91
— "Whiteners to remove 91-92
Fresh, to keep 112-114
Lined skin, to prevent 100-101
Pimples, recipe for 83-84
— To lance 85-86
— Treatment for 84-85
Pores, to reduce 81-83
Skin, diet to improve 97-98
— Tonic, astringent lotion...- 81
— How to use 81-82
Steaming, method of 87-88
DYES (see under Bleaches)
EARS
Earache, to cure 172-174
Projecting ears, correction for. 174-175
'Winter, care in i 171-172
EYEBROWS AND LASHES
Eyebrow and lash tonic 160
Eyebrows, to make beautiful... 160-161
— To make shapely 161-164
Lashes, to make shapely 161-164
EYES
Bright eyes, to make 169-170
Crusts on lids, to cure 166-167
Inflammation, to reduce 167
— Preparation to prevent 167-169
Strained eyes, to take pain from 166
Styes, to cure 167
FACE POWDERS
Brunettes, powder for 117
Liquid balm, recipe for 119-120
Powders, how to apply 117-118
Red cheeks, to develop 115-117
Use in winter 118-119
FEET
Ankles, unshapely, to make
pretty 200-202
Arches, broken, how to care for 195-196
Chilblains, remedies for 197-198
— To secure relief from 198-200
Corns, soft 190-191
— Home treatment for 190-191
— Painful, ways of removing. 191-193
Tender feet, care of 194-195
FIGURE, TO DEVELOP
Correct sitting posture 205-207
Exercises improve more than
corsets 203-205
Sweeping and dusting, benefits
of 207-208
Vacaire bust-developer, recipe
for 203
FLESH, TO REDUCE
Diets that help 209-210
Hot soda baths 212-213
852
INDEX
Summer is Ideal time to take
off flesh 210-212
HAIR
Cold weather treatment 20
Dandruff 35
Dry hair, tonic for 16
Falling hair 18-19
— And hard hair, tonic for... 21
Dryness, tonic for 21,25
— Tonic for 19
Falling hair, caused by dandruff 36-38
False hair 30-31
Night treatment 18
Oily hair 12
— Tonic for 12
Perfuming the hair 31-33
Scalp, to nourish 17
Singe hair, to 15
Straight hair 27
Sunburned hair, tonic for 25
Superfluous hair 33
HANDS
Beautify, to 63-64
Cold weather, care in 60-61
Perspiring hands, treatment for 65-66
Soften, how to 58-59
Stains, to remove 64-65
Whiten, pastes that 61-62
— Recipes to 58
MASSAGE
Arms, to massage the 79-80
Cream, astringent 2
— Elderflower 1
— Flesh-making 2-3
— Perfumes for 4
— To fatten the neck 11
— To whiten the skin 3
Face, to massage the 1
Frequency of treatment 6
Lotion, without grease 4
(Movements to be used 5
Neck, to beautify 10
— Cream 10
— Cream, to fatten 11
Pufflness of eyes 8
— Scragginess, to prevent.... 10-11
Preparations for treatment 2
— Tonic for 9
Skin food 7
— How to use 7
Swollen lids 9
— To reduce 9-10
MISCELLANEOUS
Graceful walk, to cultivate a.. 247-248
Speaking voice, how to acquire
a soft 245-246
Unattractive mouths, to beau-
tify 248-249
Warm in winter, to keep 249-251
NAILS
Beautify, to 69-71
Biting nails, to cure habit of.. 73-74
Bitten nails, treatment for 74-75
Breaking nails, to strengthen.. 72-73
Manicuring, suggestions about.. 67-69
Polishing cream, a 71-72
— Powder, recipe for 67
Winter, care of in 71-72
NOSES
Chronic redness, to cure 176
Red noses, simple remedies for. 177-178
SHAMPOOS
Blondes, mixtures for 39
Brunettes, mixtures for 39-40
Dry shampoo, how to give 41
Frequency for shampoos 43
Heat, use of 44
Sour odor, to obviate a 43-44
SIMPLE REMEDIES
Biting lips, to cure habit of 241-242
Blood, health drinks that purify 236-237
Bruises 222-225
Colds, to prevent 220-222
Cracked lips 239-241
Cuts 222-225
Fever blisters 239
Headache caused by heat 231-232
Hot water a panacea for ills... 234-235
Indigestion, exercises that may
prevent 237-239
Liver spots, to remove 215-217
Nerves, weakness of 232-234
Pains in head 229-230
Poison ivy 227-229
Prickly heat 225-226
Rheumatism, hot water treat-
ment for 217-218
Skin irritations 226"H7
Sores , 223
Sore throats 219-220
Torpid liver, diet that will im-
prove 214-215
Warts, to remove 242-244
TEETH
Bleaching powders 179,~*£[
Dont's, to be remembered 181-184
Fruit stains, to prevent injuries
from 184-18o
Mouth washes 188-189
Receding gums, treatment for.. 185-186
Recipe for tooth powder 179
Tartar, to prevent accumulation
of 186-188
TOILET PREPARATIONS
Almond toilet preparation 125-127
Benzoin, toilet lotions based on 134-135
Buttermilk, as skin food and
drink 123-124
Cleansing powders 135-137
Cold cream 121-122
— Ingredients 127-128
Glycerine lotion 139-141
Incense for burners, to com-
pound , 141-143
253
INDEX
Inexpensive toilet lotions, how Spring water, use of.... 109-110
to make 124-125 Drinks, to prevent ^ HI
Oily lotions 137-139 Wrinkles, care of eyes to pre-
Perf umes compounded at home. 129-130 vent 103-104
Skin tonic for use in bath 130-132 — Caused by cold weather, to
Toilet waters, how to make in- prevent 107-108
expensive 132-133 —Caused by headaches, to
prevent 105-106
WRINKLES — In spring winds, to prevent 101-102
Lined skin, to prevent 100-101 — Lotions for 101-103
Skin, fresh, treatment to keep.. 112-114 — Rest, to prevent «.. 110-111
354
OVER 50,000 SOLD
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